Product description
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Seeing Heaven
Review
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The summer of 2010 will be remembered as initiating
the renaissance of lesbian cinema, especially with the mainstream
lesbian Brokeback, The Kids are All Right, opening this July to
unanimous approval from critics as well as both general and
LGBT-friendly audiences. One of the most promising films hitting
this year s circuit is the documentary Edie and Thea: A Very Long
Engagement. The documentary offers an lens into the
lives of Edie Windsor and Thea er, who have been together for
over forty years, and who, after a very long engagement spanning
most of that duration, were finally able to marry in Toronto in
2008. The film begins with an aged Edie and Thea commenting upon
photographic stills that are being projected onto a wall in their
home. The images consist of their collective travels around the
world, from New York to Venice, from the Hamptons to a small
little African village, in a manner that s how much, and
how extensively, the two have lived together, through time and
around the globe. The images Edie on the beach in her pink
bikini, seemingly straight out of a mid-century Vogue; black and
white portraits of Thea that frame her beautiful jaw-line and
very sexy eyebrows are glamorous and offer an intimacy into the
history of their partnership. The overarching theme of a very
long engagement shapes the narrative form of the documentary,
whereby the two are determined to marry, even though Thea s MS
has become increasingly debilitating in her advanced age.
Regardless of the fact that she has been in a wheelchair since
her mid-20s, Thea takes immense pleasure in dancing with Edie.
Echoing the traditional emphasis placed on the first dance, and
on dancing at a marriage reception in general, the two speak
gleefully at length about how much they have always loved to
dance together so much so that, during one of their first dances,
they danced so long together that Edie had holes in the bottom of
her stockings by the end of the night. Devoid of an overbearing,
politically correct agenda, Edie and Thea is a love story that
transcends politics, cultures, and identities. Sure, they
reminisce about experiencing pre-Stonewall New York, and there
are brief scenes that skim the surface of their work on behalf of
civil rights throughout the decades. But, at its heart, this film
is about creating a life with another person and committing to
that person fully, with all your body, mind and spirit in
ness, and in . It s lovely, and heartwarming, and their
love made me cry with joy just to think that this kind of
life-long love is possible. --cherrygrrl.com
I don't know why I was drawn to Edie & Thea: A Very Long
Engagement. A documentary about two old fuddy-duddy lesbians, the
film seemed to promise the shock and awe of the oppressive '60s
to someone who ped at and thoroughly enjoyed Mad Men's lesbian
scene. But Edie & Thea is so much more than that. You can blame
the heightened levels of estrogen in the film's audience for your
watering eyes, but the truth is that this film about a love that
spans several decades is honest and heartfelt without being
saccharine. Edie, who was present at the Frameline screening, was
an absolute character (and still a bombshell in all her years).
Both her and Thea's personalities had the audience in stitches as
they shuffled through their memories from the years. Despite
appearances otherwise, the focus here is the relationship rather
than the history. You could say that Edie and Thea mated for
life, having been together for 40 some odd years before Thea died
earlier this year. Even though Thea started showing symptoms of
MS at age 45, their love for dancing (and each other) never
faltered. Their secret? Never let joy escape. Oh, and "keep it
hot!," as Edie said Thea had put it. --sfappeal.com/
Edie Windsor and Thea er s very long engagement began back in
1965, at Greenwich Village restaurant Portofino... where all the
lesbians went for dinner. They spent the whole night dancing and
Edie wore a hole in her stockings. It was two years before they
met again in the Hamptons and this time they didn t say goodnight
at the end of the evening. Directors/producers Gréta Ólafsdóttir
and Susan Muska with support from the Sundance Channel have
crafted a truly poignant and inspiring film about love,
engagement and commitment. Gentle and unobtrusive, Edie and Thea
s story is told via their own conversations, against a
photographic slide show from infancy, to the day they met and
their marriage in 2007. Two soul mates that fell in love and
danced with each other through four decades of work, life, loss
and love and plenty of great sex, apparently! Lesbian life in
Sixties New York was one lived firmly in the closet; meeting
other women was often a clandestine affair in rough,
Mafia-operated bars where raids were common. It wasn t
until the Stonewall riots stormed along Christopher Street in
1969, and into the public consciousness, that the gay rights
movement was born. In addition to societal pressures, both Edie
and Thea had families that were less than supportive of their
choice to be together. Yet despite many obstacles, the couple
made an enduring success of their relationship. Thea worked from
home as a clinical psychologist, while Edie was a computer
systems analyst at IBM. Both women were also committed to gay
rights and regularly participated in protest marches. Even after
Thea was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in her mid-forties and
soon confined to a wheelchair, they made their partnership work.
It s the unspoken words that are the most moving. A touch, a
look, a smile. A celebratory scene where the couple take the
floor at the ESPA Hampton s Tea Dance says everything about their
relationship. As Edie says: I didn t want a life without love .
Acknowledging that time was not on their side, they decided to
get married in Toronto in 2007 by Canada s first openly gay
judge, Harvey Brownstone. Canada offers civil marriage to same
sex couples without residency requirements. The wedding service
footage brought me to tears. As Edie procls: Marriage
represents the ultimate expression of love and commitment between
two people. Everyone understands that! And the secret of their
successful relationship? Clearly an enduring physical attraction,
and a profound love and respect for each other. If I look at Edie
now, she looks exactly the same to me, says Thea. This movie will
touch your heart, whatever your gender or sexuality. Thank you
Edie, Thea, Greta and Susan for making such a beautiful film. A
love story that has helped me to understand the real meaning of
engagement. And how richly rewarding and magical life can be when
we open our hearts to fully give and receive love. As Edie so
rightly says: Don t postpone joy. --divamag.co.uk
