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Acting our Age
Rating : 3.0 out of 4
Reference: Director, Gurinder Chadha. Toronto, Mongrel Media, 1993.
30 minutes
Call number: video 0094
Abstract: Documents a group of South Asian seniors
making a video on living and aging in England. Through interviews with
a wide range of subjects, from people in the street to members of Parliament,
this film reveals the stereotypical attitudes, cultural difference and
everyday problems faced by these often neglected citizens. Challenges
commonly held views on the life and experiences of South Asian immigrants
to the West.
Library of Congress subjects
Aged--England--Social conditions
South Asians--England--Social conditions
Sociology subjects:
Aging & gerontology
The body
The city
Community activism
Diasporas & immigration
Ethnographic methods
Identity
Reviews and Numerical Ratings
3 I liked it, it’s really funny especially the
song at the end, but I didn’t give it the highest rating. What
stood out for me is that the video-maker gave the elderly an opportunity
to make their own video, while she was documenting them. “Subjects”
were actively involved in the issue being studied: the elderly South
Asians were doing something about the problems of homelessness &
elderly care. This debunks the myth that the elderly have no agency.
It was a simple method, but it revealed a lot about their attitudes,
e.g., the South Asian man who is leading their video-making, though
unversed in sociology, has a grasp on issues like the racism that elderly
South Asians face in accessing homes. Prior to watching this, I never
thought of the issues facing elderly people of colour – I’d
assumed their families took care of them, while white elderly people
went to nursing homes - so I’m seeing that this question is coming
up now for immigrants of colour. The immigrants of colour are adapting
to/being influenced/being pressured into a Western family style that
forces them to put their elderly people in a nursing home. We see the
breaking up of the extended family, which Western society somehow sees
as deviant. And I’d never thought of elderly homelessness - how
can people be homeless, if they’re elderly? Shouldn’t someone
be taking care of them? The main sociological issues that stood out
are racism & ageism. This would be good for Sociology courses on
gerontology, culture, and race. For students at any level. Kisrene McKenzie
(undergraduate)
3 Interesting but a bit slow. Seems to raise a number
of issues, e.g., elder care, ageism, culture & change. But these
would need to be discussed further in class in order to make the issues
more transparent. E.g., discuss the idea that putting ill parents into
care facilities is more/less loving than caring for them at home. Also,
discussion about government funding of facilities and class issues is
needed. Riley Olstead
1 Even though the topic for this video is important,
there has got to be another interesting & educational way to present
this topic. Many students who are looking to gain knowledge from this
video will find it straight out boring, useless, and meaningless. The
content is not very enriching, lacking all elements that one would normally
find in a sociology documentary or educational video. Minh Hoang (undergraduate)
4 It’s a keeper! That it’s a video about
non-experts making a video is the hook that makes this work. The seniors
are shown non-stereotypically - as having agency, learning new technologies,
being politically active, and holding stereotypes about old age. The
third eye helps to illuminate contradictions in a way that’s continually
funny without being mean. Lecture topics: gerontology, social movements,
diaspora, action research methods. Kathy Bischoping & Sujatha Varghese
4 Older S. Asians doing video on aging issues &
intergenerational differences. Good for lectures on aging, services
for older populations, especially “minority” groups. Also
relevant for lectures on relations between ethnic “communities”
and state institutions. Luin Goldring
