PREMIERES OCTOBER 07, 2019 ON PBS

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“THE FILM IS A KNOCKOUT.

Full of vibrant characters, confrontation and love, and one which also challenges us to think both critically and personally about the ways we and society care for those at the end of their lives."

upcoming screenings

about the film

Three brothers confront the chasm between adolescent yearning and adult responsibilities when brought together to care for their charesmatic ninety-three year old grandmother in this feature-length documentary debut from directors Erick Stoll & Chase Whiteside.

Diego is a young circus artist living away from his family in a dull landscape of tourist beaches and all-inclusive resorts when he must return home suddenly. His grandmother, América, fell from her bed, causing his father to be jailed under accusation of elder neglect.

Diego sees poetry and purpose in this tragedy. He believes América, despite her immobility and advanced dementia, fell willfully, to bring the separated family back together. He reunites with his estranged brothers and leaves his old life behind.

But now they face the considerable challenges of freeing their father from an opaque court system bereft of moral authority, and learning to be caretakers for someone who may not understand who they are.

And yet the greatest challenge might be learning to work together. As the brothers clash over money and the distribution of labor, difficult questions take the foreground – who decides what becomes of América? and how long will they put their lives on hold to care for her?

“A SOULFUL, SUNNY HANGOUT MOVIE.

Shot over a three-year period with an affectionate, watchful eye, it blows up an intimate family portrait on to a large, cinematic canvas."

“A GORGEOUS, EMOTIONALLY RICH FILM.

Bursting with simple moments of intimacy layered with the most unexpected complexity, América carries enduring weight.”

“REMARKABLE EMOTIONAL DEPTH AND SENSITIVITY.”

“ONE OF THOSE RARE NON-FICTION TREASURES THAT SEEMS SO EFFORTLESS YET SO COMPLEX.”

“SHOTS THAT ANY DOCUMENTARIAN WOULD KILL FOR.

Guided and distinguished by an alert mindfulness, an emotional intelligence determining where the camera needs to be and has the right to be.”

“REVERBERATES WITH DEEP EMOTION.

Finding beauty, humour and tenderness in circumstances that might otherwise be devoid of hope.”

“AN HONEST, INTIMATE TREATISE ON KINDNESS

América is a film about what it means to have the best years of your life interrupted by the duty of care, and what’s more, to want that to happen.”

“A SUBLIME, MAGICAL MASTERPIECE.
IT IS RARE TO SEE SO MUCH LIFE ON SCREEN.”

festivals

LUKE BRAWLEY, DOGWOOF

general info

ERICK STOLL & CHASE WHITESIDE

sales inquiries

CLEO VEGEL, DOGWOOF