Lick Salt—A Grandson’s Tale
CANADA / 2006 / English / Color, B&W / Video / 78 min
Director, Script, Photography, Editing, Producer: Ryan Feldman
Production Company, Source: RyFe Productions Inc.
Grandmother Cecile is estranged from director Ryan Feldman’s father, who has barred all contact between the two of them. Ryan begins forming a relationship with his grandmother after encountering her for the first time in fifteen years at his grandfather’s funeral. He witnesses the charming spontaneity of an elderly Jewish woman, as well as her fear and uncertainty toward death and her senility-induced delusions, involving talking to photographs and preparing meals for those pictured. Ryan’s anxiety about the future comes to the fore as he repeatedly switches jobs and moves house, all the while up to his neck in trying to cope with his extraordinary grandmother.
[Director’s Statement] For me, the film speaks for itself; it is a statement that I cannot define in words. I guess that’s why I made it. In the four years I spent making Lick Salt my relationship to Cecile (Grandma) took on many forms. We were strangers, friends, blood, teacher and pupil, an improvisational comedy duo, partners in crime, and kindred spirits. I hope you will enjoy getting to know her as much as I did.
Ryan Feldman
A Toronto-based independent filmmaker, Ryan Feldman graduated from Sheridan College’s Media Arts program. His first film Eulogy/Obverse (1999) screened at various international venues and was honored with many prestigious awards, including Best Experimental at the 1999 Montreal World Film Festival and the Jay Scott prize for Best Overall Production at TVO’s Telefest Competition. His second film, Folk (2002), premiered at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival and was awarded a Special Jury Prize at the Cinematexas International Short Film Festival, as well as Top Prize at the up-and-coming International Film Festival Hannover. Lick Salt, his first feature-length documentary, premiered at the 2006 Cinéma du Réel International Documentary Film Festival in Paris, France. |