Deep in the heart of central Los Angeles lies an unusual retirement home. Founded in 1923, Sunset Hall caters to the \u201cfree-thinking elderly,\u201d integrating aging with progressive activism and giving its residents the opportunity to engage with the causes they hold dear. Sunset Story<\/i> delves inside the world of two of Sunset Hall\u2019s most lucid residents, 81-year-old Irja Lloyd and 95-year-old Lucille Alpert, whose feisty engagement with life draws them together.<\/p>\n
Like many of their fellow residents, Irja and Lucille wrestle daily with the obstacles of aging. However, their friendship, in their words, has \u201csaved both of our lives.\u201d After moving into Sunset Hall within weeks of one another, they soon form an unbreakable bond \u2014 socially, intellectually, and physically. In order to be assured of stimulating conversation and emotional sanity, the two sit together at every meal and every meeting.<\/p>\n
Sunset Story<\/i> follows Irja and Lucille for a period of several months as they venture out for manicures, political protests and meals at their favorite deli. Meanwhile, at Sunset Hall, they are among the few who speak up during political discussions and the only ones alert enough to care about the appalling menu offerings. When Lucille receives a terminal cancer diagnosis, Irja must confront the possibility of losing her lifeline.<\/p>\n
Sharp-witted, up-to-date, and often provocative, Irja and Lucille are unafraid to share their opinions on men, sex, gender roles, and social attitudes toward the elderly. In a culture in which the elderly are often isolated and discarded as \u201cunpleasant\u201d reminders of the aging process, Sunset Story<\/i> explodes familiar stereotypes, portraying two friends\u2019 search for meaning and connection with unexpected emotion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
They\u2019re old, they\u2019re bold, and they\u2019ll change the way you think about aging. The only lucid residents at a retirement home for political progressives, best friends Irja and Lucille experience later life with vitality, dignity, humor, and purpose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":11661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"topic":[1227],"class_list":["post-211","films","type-films","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","topic-women-and-girls"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n