Dir: Ken Wardrop, Ireland, 2010, 83 minutes
Review by Paul Murphy
‘Behind every great man, is a great woman’, states the famous old adage. The makers of this tender and touching documentary start their film with a similar themed Irish proverb: “A man loves his girlfriend the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest”. And so we are set up for eighty minutes of pure, heartwarming bliss, as seventy Irish women from childhood to old age share their thoughts, feelings and stories about the men in their lives and what they mean to them.
From fathers, boyfriends, husbands and sons, His & Hers is the story of family; not only Irish family, but every family in the world. Its beauty lies in the fact that in these women we see ourselves; our lives, relationships and the people we love, and we instantly feel at home. Told simply and effectively, the story of these women allows us into their homes. They talk personally and frankly about their men, their quirks, foibles, and charms, and why and how they love them so.
So we encounter little girls who certainly are the apple of their Daddy’s eye and teenagers who, when not being driven mad by their father’s demands, are busy texting their new beaus. There are fiancées eagerly awaiting their big day, newly married wives settling into their new lives and young mothers who delight in the devotion of their young sons. There are older mothers who understand the erratic chaos that is the male teenager and housewives who have devoted their lives to bringing up their family. All of life is here.
But His & Hers is not all whimsy. We meet women coming to terms with life alone after the death of their beloved husbands and with their own mortality when struck with life threatening disease. Aging mothers are looked after by their aging sons and women sadly outlive the men in their lives. All is shown with a quiet and dignified grace.
There’s an economy to the storytelling in this film that makes it both amazingly simple and astonishingly effective. By focusing in on the essential nature of a certain time in a female life, Wardrop has picked the most vital and universal parts of womanhood, interweaving a complete single life from seventy different women.
A film festival hit across the globe and already released to wide praise and acclaim in Ireland, His & Hers is simply a joy to behold. The Sundance award winning cinematography is stunning, a virtuoso of visual storytelling. Home is indeed where the heart is, and the kitchens, living rooms, and hallways in which the film takes place tell its story as eloquently as the women do. Wardrop’s keen visual style transforms the mundane into the sublime, revealing the hidden depth and beauty in seemingly everyday lives.
Seventy different women, one voice, this film is a triumph for all involved. A timeless, priceless, inspiring gem of a film and a sublime treatise on the human condition, His & Hers reminds us who we are, our essential connection to each other, and why love, family and fellowship are the strongest ties that bind us together. Not to be missed.
