This 1998 British comedy is one of those gerontological movies that made me fall in love in this field of movies and aging. The Brits know how to do good comedies (e.g. Monty Python....). Looking at aging and older persons in a humorist way - without slipping to ageism and stereotyping - is not easy. Waking Ned - from this perspective - is a huge success. Written and directed by Kirk Jones, and starring Ian Bannen, David Kelly, and Fionnula Flanagan - the story is set in a small and remote village in Ireland. It begins when two older friends find out that someone in their tiny village has won the Irish National Lottery. They start to look for the winner - when eventually they find the winner - Ned Devine, an older person him self - dead in his home in front of the TV, still holding the winning ticket in his hands with a smile on his face. The two older friends decide to claim the winnings for themselves. The rest of the story is about how the whole village "plays" along as if Ned Devine is still alive in order to receive the lottery prize.
This is a hilarious British comedy, with some unforgettable scenes - which only thinking of them make me laugh again. But focusing more on aging and ageism - the beauty of this movie, is the way in which it breaks down our fears of death, our fear of old age, and our stereotypes about getting old - and with humor and satire - it normalizes aging, and puts it back where it belongs: as a natural part of human life. A MUST see !!!
Director: Kirk Jones
Year: 1998.
UK.
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