For years, John’s world has been getting darker. He’s 32 years old and is losing his sight to retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a rare genetic condition that has forced him to quit his job as a driver in London and increasingly limits his freedom of movement. Across Still Water, a short documentary by the UK director Ruth Grimberg, finds John at a crossroads: should he train to use a cane, or get a guide dog, and lose his Jack Russell terrier? As he struggles to accept his deteriorating condition, night fishing trips with a friend are the only thing that bring him a sense of peace. Constructed with care and patience, Grimberg’s film is a compassionate reflection on the quiet depth of friendship and the experience of preparing for a future without sight.
Via Short of the Week.
Director: Ruth Grimberg
Producer: Claire Levy
videoLove and friendship
What does it mean to say goodbye to a creature that doesn’t know you’re leaving?
13 minutes
videoLife stages
Grief, healing and laughter coexist at a unique retreat for widows and widowers
15 minutes
videoMedicine
Drinking wine from toxic cups was the 17th century’s own dubious ‘detox’ treatment
11 minutes
videoFamily life
A mother and child bond in an unusual prison visitation space in this poignant portrait
11 minutes
videoIllness and disease
Humanity eradicated smallpox 45 years ago. It’s a story worth remembering
25 minutes
videoHuman rights and justice
Surreal, dazzling visuals form an Iranian expat’s tribute to defiance back home
10 minutes
videoLove and friendship
Never marry a man you love too much, and other views on romance in Sierra Leone
5 minutes
videoHistory of technology
Curious singles and tech sceptics – what ‘computer dating’ looked like in 1966
6 minutes
videoCognition and intelligence
A father forgets his child’s name for the first time in this poetic reflection on memory
4 minutes