Top Ten Life Story and Family History Films

I love that Sarah Polley's Stories We Tell and Christopher Guest's Family Tree are getting such good press. It's nice to see more public awareness around genealogy and personal history.

I'm always looking for films that focus on life stories and family histories. And I don't mean celebrity life stories and family histories—I'm talking about films that showcase the lives of unknowns and everyday people like you and me.

There aren't many comprehensive lists for this type of film—at least, I didn't come across many. To remedy the situation, I started my own Pinterest board: Films about Family History, Life Stories and Aging. 

There are more than 65 films in my little database thus far. Most are biographical documentaries, but a few are "movie movies," like Trip to Bountiful, a fictional story, but on topic. You can find many of the films on Netflix or Amazon.

Now I know you've been waiting with bated breath for my personal favorites. So here are my top ten personal and family history films:

1.  Holes in My Shoes
94-year-old New Yorker, Jack Beers, has broken the age barrier full force. He can do what most young men can, and his diverse lifetime achievements would take many to accomplish.

2.  Strangers in Good Company
A busload of women become stranded in an isolated part of the Canadian countryside. As they await rescue, they reflect on their lives through a mostly ad-libbed script.

3.  The Elders
Through the eyes of an aging generation, The Elders examines what it really means to live, by coming of age.

4.  Been Rich All My Life
Five sassy, tap dancing women aged 84 - 96. Meet the "Silver Belles".

5.  Nobody's Business
Irritable, hard of hearing, and cosmically indifferent to his own past, Oscar Berliner may be the least enthusiastic star in motion picture history. "You're wasting your time!" he announces when his son tells him he wants to make a film about his life.

6.  I Like Killing Flies
A documentary on the oddball Greenwich Village eatery, Shopsins.

7.  Young@Heart
A documentary on a chorus of senior citizens from Massachusetts who cover songs by Jimi Hendrix, Coldplay, Sonic Youth, and other unexpected musicians.

8.  Old People Driving
Chronicles the adventures of 96-year-old Milton and 99-year-old Herbert as they confront the end of their driving years. The film follows Herbert as he takes his last drive, hansover his keys and comes to terms with the reality of life wihtout a car.

9.  The Way We Get By
On call 24/7 for the past six years, three senior citizens have made history by greeting nearly one million U.S. troops at a tiny airport in Maine.

10.  The Life of Reilly
If, in 1940, you had a lobotomized aunt, an institutionalized father, a racist mother, and were the only gay kid on the block, what do you think the odds would be that you'd end up a Tony winner, a staple of television, and a generational icon?

Have a look at my Pinterest board and let me know if I've missed one of your favorites!




photo credit: Yum Studio via photopin cc

Writing in Small Bites

I've spent much of my career developing exhibits and writing text for museums around the world. One of the most important things I've learned is that audiences have very short attention spans. Visitors typically spend about 10 minutes in a 3,000 square foot exhibit—that means they might take about one minute to pause and read some text every 300 feet. That's not much time to capture their attention and share something meaningful!

My rules for museum writing are clarity and brevity. Keep it simple. Keep it clear. Keep it short. Those rules have served me well.

When I started helping people write the stories from their lives, I brought along many techniques I'd learned while writing for museums.

The idea of writing in "small bites" is key. In the museum world, we call it chunking—breaking writing into small blocks of text to make it easier for visitors to read. This idea translates directly to my philosophy of writing stories from your life instead of writing your whole life story. Why not break your life down into small chunks and write a bunch of 1-, 2-, or 3-page stories?

By writing about your life in small bites, you're keeping it simple, clear and short. And not only is it easier on your readers, it's less overwhelming for you, the writer.




photo credit: nettsu via photopin cc

Writing Stories from Your Life

I've always found the idea of writing one's life story to be overwhelming. That's why I encourage my students to write stories from your life instead of writing your whole life story. 

Writing your life story implies a chronological retelling from your birth to now. Writing stories from your life lets all the pressure off—it's more like storytelling than autobiography. The whole process seems lighter and more fun. The weighty idea of autobiography disappears, replaced by the easy feeling of recounting stories around the kitchen table.

It pleases me to no end to find that Agatha Christie agreed with my little theory. A prolific mystery writer, Ms. Christie had this same point of view when it came time to write about her own life:

"Autobiography is too grand a term. It suggests a purposeful study of one's whole life. It implies names, dates and places in a tidy chronological order. What I want is to plunge my hand into a lucky dip and come up with a handful of assorted memories."

With this ease in mind, why not take a "lucky dip" into your own life and see what memories come up?  Write a two-page story about the memory from your life. Keep it relaxed and informal. Write in your own voice—like you're telling the story to a friend. Don't worry about grammar and punctuation. Let the story flow.

If you've been paralyzed by the idea of writing your life story, let go of that idea and start to have fun writing the stories from your life.



 photo credit: kelly.sikkema via photopin cc

Alex Haley Says...

"In all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage—to know who we are and where we came from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, an emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness."