Bozeman Magazine

On Thursday, January 10th, at 7pm at the Emerson Center, The Bozeman Doc Series presents the Montana premiere of the award-winning new documentary América.

Three brothers confront the chasm between adolescent yearning and adult responsibilities when brought together to care for their charismatic ninety-three year old grandmother in this feature-length documentary debut from directors Erick Stoll & Chase Whiteside.

Diego is a young circus artist living away from his family in a dull landscape of tourist beaches and all-inclusive resorts when he must return home suddenly. His grandmother, América, fell from her bed, causing his father to be jailed under accusation of elder neglect. Diego sees poetry and purpose in this tragedy. He believes América, despite her immobility and advanced dementia, fell willfully, to bring the separated family back together. He reunites with his estranged brothers and leaves his old life behind.

But now they face the considerable challenges of freeing their father from an opaque court system bereft of moral authority, and learning to be caretakers for someone who may not understand who they are. And yet the greatest challenge might be learning to work together. As the brothers clash over money and the distribution of labor, difficult questions take the foreground – who decides what becomes of América? And how long will they put their lives on hold to care for her?

América has screened at major festivals around the world, winning several awards and garnering widespread critical acclaim.
“A gorgeous, emotionally rich film. Bursting with simple moments of intimacy layered with the most unexpected complexity, América carries enduring weight.” Kelli Weston, The Skinny

“The film is a knockout...Full of vibrant characters, confrontation and love, and one which also challenges us to think both critically and personally about the ways we and society care for those at the ends of their lives.” Scott Macauley, Filmmaker Magazine

“A soulful, sunny hangout movie…Shot over a three-year period with an affectionate, watchful eye, it blows up an intimate family portrait on to a large, cinematic canvas.” Simran Hans, The Guardian

“An honest, intimate treatise on kindness. América is a film about what it means to have the best years of your life interrupted by the duty of care, and what’s more, to want that to happen.”
Matt Turner, Little White Lies

Doors open at 6:30pm. Tickets are available at the door or before the show at Cactus Records and Movie Lovers. Tickets are also available online at www.bozemandocseries.org, where you can also buy Season Passes and 7-film punch cards, learn more about the series, and view trailers for upcoming films. The series will continue every other Sunday through Christmas. Starting January 10th, the series will move to every other Thursday through April.