Celebrating Life Over 50 in the Puget Sound Region and Beyond

Beauty and Chance

A short documentary about two long lives

August 1, 2022 at 12:00 a.m.

Over the course of four years, award-winning filmmaker John Harrison followed the lives of two elders from the Puget Sound area, (center) Georgie, (right) Imogene

Six years ago, filmmaker John Harrison set off on a year-long project to document the everyday lives of two women who happened to be quite old. Imogene turned 100 years old when filming began, Georgie 96. But something happened along the way. John, Imogene and Georgie kept going. Filming was not completed until four years later. The two women shared over 200 years of life experience between them: experiences of poverty and wealth, of marriage and divorce. Of raising grandchildren, of confronting a cheating spouse and finding new love. Of joining book clubs and becoming a stand-up comic. Of holding a great-great-grandson and losing a husband after 50 years of marriage. And all the quiet moments in between.

The film, at just over 41 minutes, is a mediative look at everyday moments in the lives of Imogene and Georgie. It’s a quiet film, but the women’s vibrancy, to say nothing of their remarkable longevity, shines through.

The documentary “Beauty and Chance” is a meditation on the hidden struggles and quiet graces of two women writing the final chapters of their lives

Spokane-based filmmaker John Harrison travels the world for his work in film and video production with the company he co-owns, Untamed Productions. On the side, he follows his passion for filmmaking. As a cinematographer, John’s films have screened in the world’s most prestigious film festivals and won numerous awards, including an Oscar Nomination for the film Kavi (Best Live-Action Short, 2010 – see the trailer at https://vimeo.com/4384864) and the Student Academy Award for Voila (2008).

How did this globe-trotting 41-year-old award-winning filmmaker decide to make a documentary exploring the lives of two elders from the Puget Sound area?

“I’ve always had an interest in the older population,” remarks John, who doesn’t think we honor our elders as we should.

He recalls a dawning recognition of this interest more than 20 years ago during a study abroad experience while living in Spain. “I remember walking through the plaza a block off the street where my apartment was and seeing lots of people: families going on evening walks, kids kicking soccer balls, people eating tapas and having drinks in the sidewalk cafes lining the streets. Alongside, there were always groups of two or three, five or six elders, joking, talking, being social. I remember thinking that was something I’d never seen before, all this life together.” He realized that the groups of older people he observed weren’t just old, they were quite elderly. He started paying attention and became aware that having elders engaged with the community was just a normal part of life in Spain.

When he returned to Seattle to finish his program at the University of Washington, and later when he moved to Los Angeles for film school, John consciously felt the absence of that elderly presence in his everyday social circles. He remembered back to his time in Spain, that sense of how the very old amongst us were woven into the fabric of society.

Upon reflection, he realized that the places society creates for older adults, like senior centers, retirement communities and nursing homes, are important and valuable but they tend to isolate this vital group from the rest of us. The contrast between what he experienced in Spain and back home in the United States was impactful. “That contrast stuck with me. It was sad to me.” His own grandparents had died during that same period, which added to the impact of his growing consciousness about elders in society.

Skip ahead to 2016 when one of John’s films (www.roadtojinja.com/ so-glad-i-found-you), which profiled a group of people living in the tiny Skagit Valley town of Edison, was shown at the Everett Film Festival. During the Q&A, someone asked what his next project would be. Rather spontaneously, John replied that he was interested in people who are very, very old and who are doing a really good job at it, fully engaged in life. “I’d been thinking of the idea off and on for a few years, but it wasn’t something I had formally decided. I knew I would be interested if I met the right person.”

Imogene holding her great-great grandson

As it turns out, Imogene’s daughter was in the audience and called him to say, “My mom is 99, and will turn 100 in a few weeks. She lives by herself and is actively engaged…” Imogene, as it turned out, was perfect.

Then John met Georgie, 96 at the time, after reading an article she’d written in the West Seattle Herald (now Westside Seattle). Georgie was a longtime columnist and still contributing to the publication. “I called her out of the blue. She said I could come meet her and her partner and her kids.”

John was with Georgie when she celebrated her 100th birthday during filming

The cast was set.

John considers himself a filmmaker telling the stories of people who will not make the headlines. “I encourage people to believe that everyone’s story is important and there are elements of real beauty in everyone’s story. That is a foundation for what I do.” The quality of Imogene’s and Georgie’s relationships affected John tremendously. “I hope that people take away something from the relationships they were able to maintain in the final stage of their lives. It allowed them the opportunity to love and be loved, to know and be known, to enjoy being actively involved in their lives until the very end.”

He adds, “The wisdom you accumulate after living for a long time cannot be replicated or mimicked by someone who has not lived as long. I really appreciate the pace of life, the calming that comes naturally as you grow older. Moving more slowly, being more contemplative. I will benefit from these things as I grow older.”

There is another part of growing older that John is very much looking forward to: “Having grandchildren, watching them grow up, to see life’s experiences through their eyes.”

John offers the film for free. He encourages anyone to share it with others, individually or at communities and events. To view the film, link here: BeautyandChance.com.

MORE INFORMATION

Imogene Sanders, who continued to live independently until a couple of months before her death, passed away on May 24 at age 106. In part, Imogene’s Everett Herald obituary reads: She kept her mind and body sharp. Imogene was a regular at the Everett YMCA Senior exercise classes, a Book Club member and PNB Ballet and 5th Avenue Musicals subscriber well into her 105th year. She made delicious butter rolls that family members have tried but been unsuccessful in duplicating. Her secrets to longevity were curiosity, family, puzzles, books, gardening, current events/ news, travels to other countries, music, art and moderation - never overindulged. (To read Imogene Sanders Obituary, click here: Imogene Sanders.)

John Harrison’s film captured Georgie Bright Kunkel celebrating her 100th birthday on August 29, 2020. To mark the milestone, Westside Seattle published a column by Georgie about her thoughts on aging, including the fact that she avoids alcohol, has never smoked and was an active runner. “I haven’t stopped running yet,” she joked. Georgie tries to follow her own advice: “Acceptance is difficult for someone who has been brought up to take command of life but I am gradually learning how that is done” and, “Looking forward to each of life’s many challenges is the key to dealing with growing up and aging.” You can read Georgie’s full essay at Georgie Bright Kunkel hits 100 'Still running' | Westside Seattle

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