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PHYLLIS AND HAROLD Send This Review to a Friend
Anyone who has wondered about what brought their parents together and what secrets might be harbored within the relationship should be interested in filmmaker Cindy Kleine’s documentary exploring the lives of her mother and father. They are now gone, but Kleine was able to film interviews with them in their latter years and extract revelations that have the elements of strong family drama.
Most shocking are the differing views expressed by each parent on what their marriage was like. For her rather boorish father, all was peachy. He was a controlling person and viewed his wife as a contented partner who went about her wifely duties. But when you listen to the wife tell it, she married the wrong man, resented him, hated sex with him and nursed regrets about not having been able to marry her already married lover instead.
Adding further interest to the story is how she secretly took up with her one-time lover again when both were elderly, and with the approval of her daughters. In fact, Cindy’s sister helped arrange their assignations. But ultimately the new-found relationship ended once again. Regrets yes, but at least there was the joy of having had it rekindled.
The filmmaker captures this deeply personal story skillfully and what we get are very human portraits put into perspective. As Kleine answers questions for herself, the documentary may well raise provocative thoughts in the minds of those who see it and think of their own parents. A Rainbow Releasing release.
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