CFUV @ VFF: Review of ‘Granny Power’
Written by Festival Coverage on 02/15/2015
Full disclosure: I became a little enamoured with the Raging Grannies the moment I found out about the group, so I was eager to watch Granny Power from the start.
A decade in the making, this documentary stars several members of the Raging Grannies. What started in 1987 as a small group of women in Victoria has grown into to an international organization with chapters across Canada, the United States, and beyond. Using satire and a large catalogue of politically-minded songs, the Raging Grannies stay active in their various communities by protesting and promoting matters of peace, environmental responsibility, and social justice. Granny Power brings their activism to the big screen with interviews and footage of their work.
The documentary provides an interesting history of the Raging Grannies, and the women in the group bring up some truly fascinating questions regarding the nature of civil disobedience. They also speak candidly on topics of confidence, mortality, and patriotism. The years of work on this documentary show. The personalities and experiences of the Raging Grannies really come through. The use of interviews, protest and meeting footage, and news clips make for a dynamic experience. While director Magnus Isacsson sadly passed away before this film was finished, the rest of his team — including Jocelyne Clarke, Martin Duckworth and Tobi Elliott — carried forward to make a finished product that gives a good indication as to how important this film and its subjects were to all of them.
The immersive technique of the documentarians involved in filming Granny Power does a great job of making the viewer feel present in the scene. The early-on visual of these brave women standing cuffed to one another with their heads held high is a wonderful sight to see. The Raging Grannies are true rebels in fabulous hats. This documentary takes the stereotype that says our older citizens have already made all their contributions to society and breaks it to pieces.
If I can rage as hard as these grannies do someday, I’ll consider it a great accomplishment.
The Granny Power world premiere takes place tonight, February 15, at 6:30 pm in Victoria’s Odeon 2.
— Linda Sjostrom
