Everlasting Moments

Maria Heiskanen stars in "Everlasting Moments

Thanks to Larry Chait for bringing this movie to my attention, I would like to highly recommend it. It was a throughly satisfying film that I was sorry to see end. Winner of five prizes at Sweden's academy awards, including best picture, "Everlasting Moments" is a rich, intensely human story that deals with the mysteries of creativity and love and the pain and joy of relationships.The cinematography was exquisite and the acting supurb.It is about the transformation of a woman's life once she discovers the power of the camera and her struggle between being a mother and an artist, enduring the hardships of early twentieth century Sweden. The sepia toned scenes and golden light thru out the film was pure visual pleasure.

In a review in Cinematical, Kim Voynar stated "For the cinephile, discovering a new film by famed Swedish director Jan Troell (one of this year's Telluride tributees) is a lot like eating a perfectly made truffle after a lifetime of mass-produced candy bars. His latest effort, Everlasting Moments, was like that for me; it's that rare cinematic experience that you settle back, bite into, and then savor as the subtle richness of the film cleanses the palate and fills the soul." Read the full review here. If you have the opportunity, try to see it.

There is a scene in the film where the main character is asked to photograph a young girl who has just died, laying in her coffin. This reminded me immediately to the work of Todd Hochberg, who photographs parents and stillborn children, just after birth. His participation with the camera in the hospital helps parents with the bereavement and healing process. The work is very, very personal and he is the only one I know doing this kind of work. He has an exhibition that opens April 14th...the details are as follows:

"Moments Held"
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Medical Humanities & Bioethics Program
details are:
April 14, 2009 5:00 -7:30PM Opening Reception
May 5, 2009 4:00PM Bresnahan Colloquium - Gallery Talk with photographer
April 14, 2009 – May 17, 2009
Dollie’s Corner
Second floor of Galter Health Sciences Library
Ward Building
303 E. Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL