LOVE IN LATER LIFE

1981

31m 25s

Netherlands

Produced by: Dr. Gerda M. de Bruijn, Dr. A. Koos Slob and Willem Ouwerkerk

Strongly affirms physical love as a life-long source of strength and pleasure. Family photos first show Mary and Keith as they grew and changed through the years. They describe their early family life together; discuss their wartime decision to delay having children; shared details of their 44-year marriage and parenthood. We see the couple (now in their 70s) talking, enjoying daily events, making love and deriving sensuous satisfaction from each other’s touch. Through their conversation, physical intimacy and obvious joy in each other’s bodies, audiences sense erotic vibrancy too often associated only with the young. The film was created precisely to counter taboos and prejudices which ruled out sexuality for older people and arbitrarily define physical beauty in terms of youth. Recommended for many groups including:

1. Doctors, nurses, social workers and others who work with the elderly;
2. Human Sexuality Courses and classes exploring the fast-emerging field of geriatric sexuality.
3. Groups discussing stereotypical thinking, which distorts understanding of sexuality among seniors, the handicapped, and others.