Younger
Celebrating old age through the lives of female athletes, Danielle Sellwood’s documentary should be treasured by many.
Photo by Alex Rotas, Image courtesy of Tull Stories
Although usually known by its one-word title, the character of Younger is better appreciated if one also takes account of the tagline on its poster: "Looking Forward to Getting Older”. This is a documentary about track and field athletes whose ages range from 69 to 85 and it is mainly the work of Danielle Sellwood although her directorial credit acknowledges the contribution of Alex Rotas. As an example of film-making Younger is straightforward and efficient although nothing that could be described as special. But, that said, what needs to be stressed is that there is nevertheless something exceptional to be found here – and that is the appeal that this film will have. That is truly special. With the emphasis very much on female athletes (there is an exception in the person of Ian Richards who is in his 70s), this is a piece that will encourage every viewer to think positively about what old age could offer.
I may regard Sellwood as able rather than innovative or brilliant, but she has made two decisions here that show acute judgment: one is not to overextend the material (her film lasts for slightly under an hour) and the other is to put the chief focus on just four athletes, each of whom is perfectly chosen. The two youngest, both 69, are Sue Yeomans, a pole vaulter, and Joylyn Saunders-Mullins whose husband Tim is her coach. Noel Blackford, 74, favours race walking even if that is now a less popular activity than it once was. She sensibly recognises that it is easier than running for the older body. Meanwhile, Dorothy Fraser, now in her mid-80s and a widow, continues racing despite having had a stroke and finds companionship in doing so including a friendship of many years with Pat Gallagher who is also seen in the film. Similarly, we see Noel with Susan Barnett and late on other athletes appear more briefly including Jane Horder and Susan Frisby who provide yet another example of a friendship fostered through both participating in sport.
Younger is not a film with a narrator and it actually gains from the fact that it does not have a presenter with a message. Instead, the athletes themselves, all of them utterly unpretentious, display a natural energy and enthusiasm which in themselves are proof that old age can be worth living. That is not to say that the people that we meet have had it easy. We hear not only of bereavements but of surviving cancer and Covid and of finding that shared sporting activity can help overcome periods of depression. In the case of the four central figures, we usefully learn a little of their past history including how they were first attracted to sport in their school days. That adds to the ability of this film to appeal on a personal level and it also means that sport provides the background setting rather than being right to the fore: we may see athletic events in London (Lee Valley), Oxford and Derby but the essential message of the film is the extent to which in older age having a strong interest that enables one to participate in a shared activity of some kind – sporting or otherwise – can transform lives. The people that we meet here illustrate that so clearly that viewing Younger is an inspirational experience and it’s all the more potent because that evolves in such an unforced and natural way. Danielle Sellwood has given us a most rewarding film and the people in it are wonderful.
The impact of Younger is such that its limited running time is unlikely to leave anyone feeling short-changed, but even so cinema screenings do come with a brief accompanying item featuring the film’s second director, Alex Rotas, who is now turning sixty herself. Its title is Older and it is described as being a portrait of Alex who these days is a photographer and activist but who in her earlier years played tennis at Wimbledon. Lasting for less than seven minutes and again made by Danielle Sellwood, it is akin to the kind of extra item found on many a DVD or Blu-Ray. The main stress in it is on the photographic portraits undertaken by Alex Rotas and that makes it particularly apt in this context because her work often features women no longer young and chooses to do so without concealing their age. Instead, she celebrates their maturity.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Featuring Dorothy Fraser, Joylyn Saunders-Mullins, Sue Yeomans, Noel Blatchford, Tim Saunders-Mullins, Ian Richards, Pat Gallagher, Susan Barnett, BrianYeomans, Denise Timmis, Liz Sissons, Melanie Garland, Jane Horder, Susan Frisby.
Dir Danielle Sellwood with Alex Rotas, Pro Danielle Sellwood and Alex Rotas, Ph Danielle Sellwood, Ed Danielle Sellwood, Music Cedric Kristian.
Find It Film-Tull Stories.
57 mins. UK. 2024. UK Rel: 5 July 2024. Cert. PG.
