Age is Just a Number in New Documentary

Interview subjects and notable Rhode Islanders included in the film, Optics of Aging. From left: Aly Stallman, Linda Miller, Mildred Nichols, Morris Nathanson, and Phil West. Photo courtesy of Michelle Le Brun.

Editor’s Note: The next screening will take place at Aldrich House on Wednesday, December 11, at 5:30 p.m. You can learn more and register for the free event here. 

When you think of growing older, how does that make you feel? Happy? Sad? Maybe even a bit scared? Michelle Le Brun, documentary filmmaker and a professor at the University of Rhode Island, wants to break the stigma and fear around aging with her new film, Optics of Aging — a feature documentary that highlights the joy and beauty around getting older.

“In 2019, I was 61 years old and becoming increasingly afraid of what might lie ahead in my elder years. Like so many of us, I really had all kinds of sad, bad images of what it might be in one’s seventies, eighties, nineties and beyond,” Le Brun says.

Le Brun decided to take action against her own fears and research the subject with real-life participants. As an award-winning filmmaker, receiving national recognition for her film Death: A Love Story, which features her late husband and his battle with terminal illness, Le Brun is no stranger to tackling life’s challenges and curiosities through film.

The film follows five elderly Rhode Islanders, all of whom were in their seventies, eighties or nineties during the time of filming in 2019. When it came down to who to include, Le Brun had a tough time narrowing down the list.

“There’s so many interesting and unique individuals in this community. I had a hard time deciding who to interview — but I decided the common element that would pull them all together is that they had each done something at some point in their lives that contributed to the character of Rhode Island,” Le Brun says.

The subjects of the film include the late Aly Stallman, an entrepreneur and Ironman triathlete, and founder and president of the Ocean State Marathon, Linda Miller, founder of the nonprofit organization Inspiring Minds, beloved community leader Mildred Nichols (you can read more about Nichols here), the late Morris Nathanson, renowned designer who co-designed De Pasquale Square in Providence and the first Dunkin’, and Phil West, long-time state director of Common Cause Rhode Island, who helped establish a Separation of Powers amendment in the Rhode Island Constitution.

“The five Rhode Islanders in this film raise awareness and challenge society’s stereotypes around aging. Their personal narratives create a tapestry of perspectives that showcase the beauty, resilience and wisdom that comes with advancing age,” says Le Brun.

With Optics of Aging, Le Brun hopes to destigmatize the stereotypes around aging, like decreased mental capacity, physical challenges, etc. By sharing the stories of these notable Rhode Islanders, she believes others will start to shape their own perspectives of aging and interacting with the elderly.

“Just being with [the interview subjects] — these are role models. [Aging] doesn’t have to necessarily mean decrepitude. It can be a vibrant life,” Le Brun says.

Optics of Aging will premiere Oct. 15 at the Providence Public Library. Click here to join the waitlist for the event. And for updates and future screenings, you can visit opticsofaging.com