かなり前のことですが、私が新老人の会の活動に参加していた時、
たまたまアメリカ人のドキュメンタリー映画監督に出会いました。
フルブライトの奨学金を得て、日本の高齢化社会を見つめるべく、
日野原先生を訪ねて来られていたのです。
日野原先生は「全日本健康スローピッチソフトボール」の名誉会長で、
「バルーン・エルダリー」という高齢者グループを紹介されたようです。
そんなことはつゆ知らず、私は大胆にも、面識のない、このご夫婦に
「私も、高齢者の仲間たちとミュージカル活動をしているので、
候補の一つにいかがですか？」と提案してしまいました。
最終的には、「バルーン・エルダリー」のドキュメンタリーとして、
下記のような素晴らしい作品になり、ネット上に公開されています。
（広告がスキップできるまで、少し時間が必要です。）
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cKeW3AWHnA
でも、ミュー研の活動にも興味を持ってくださり、我が家に何度も来られて、
活動の様子を撮影してくださいました。夫は、この時、プロの機材を見て、
色々学ぶことがあったそうです。
ご夫妻（奥様は日本人）とお嬢様達は半年ほどお台場のUR高層住宅で暮らされ、
クリスマスにはホーム・パーティーにご招待いただきました。
驚いたのは、年末に砂浜で花火が打ち上げられ、幻想的で美しかったこと。
パーティー会場には何組か異色のメンバーが集い、初対面の会話を楽しめたこと。
通りがかりの住人の方が、「楽しそうだから入れて！ ギターを持ってきたよ。」
などと、気軽に飛び込んできたこと。（欧米では当たり前らしい・・・・）
さ～すが、アメリカン！！ 色々刺激されてハッピーな経験でした。
下記は、ネットで紹介されているMr.Davisonの紹介記事です。
色々な動画を見られますし、見た人の感想を読むのも面白いです。
*****************
Patrick Davison is striking out stereotypes about old age in “Balloon Elderly,” a documentary about a slow-pitch softball team in Hongodai, Japan, made up mostly of men over 70. In Davison’s mind, these men embody the definition of the Japanese word ikigai, which roughly translates to “reason for being.”
“I was inspired by this idea and how the Balloon Elderly found some of their ikigai in the friendship and camaraderie of the team and in the game of softball,” he says. “They liked winning as much as anyone, but it didn’t seem to be their main motivation. They truly cared about each other, and they tried to make the team a place where everyone was supported through the struggles of aging.”
Davison, director of documentary projects and professor of visual communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, shot “Balloon Elderly” while he was in Japan as a Fulbright Scholar. He chronicles a season on the field with the Balloon Elderly, following the team through the final round of the Hinohara Tournament.
He spends time with the players off the field, too, delving into their personal lives. “That was probably the biggest challenge—getting beyond societal barriers to reveal deeper stories,” Davison says. “In Japan, the society is very, very close-knit and getting access beyond the surface level is really, really difficult. It’s not that they distrust or dislike you. It’s just not something that’s done. It’s not societally accepted to ask to spend time with someone who is caring for their wife who has Alzheimer’s.”
Still, the filmmaker gets his subjects to open up, adding a layer of poignancy to “Balloon Elderly.” One of the players, 79-year-old Yoshio Wada, talks about the death of his wife and his desire to live to 100. Another member of the team, Kinsaku Okabe, 83, reveals health issues and wishes he could quit working to focus on softball.
Davison’s wife, Emiko, was instrumental in helping him develop a trusting relationship with these men so they felt comfortable talking. A native of Japan, she was the film’s translator and fixer. “We got married there in ’88, and we’ve traveled to Japan a number of times. Our kids are half Japanese, and her parents would come to visit. So I’ve been exposed to the culture, but I don’t know the culture really deeply like she does. Even in interviews, I would come at it from an American perspective, and she would help me understand the nuances of the answers,” says Davison, adding, “It’s not really my film. I’d say it’s our film because we did it together. It was a team effort.”
—
When we’re not making films, we’re watching them. Introducing “Great Big Spotlight,” Great Big Story’s latest series highlighting our favorite documentaries from some of the best filmmaking talent out there. First up is Pat Davison’s “Balloon Elderly.” Watch more from Davison at his website: https://www.patrickdavison.com/
SUBSCRIBE: https://goo.gl/vR6Acb
#softball #BalloonElderly #senior
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