TORCHING THE DUSTIES
2019 Short Film - Completed
Drama/Thriller
14 min
SYNOPSIS
Protesters have appeared outside the gates of Ambrosia Manor. From behind strange baby-faced masks, they issue a chilling simple demand: it's time for the residents of this posh retirement home to give up their space on earth. Trapped inside as the situation worsens, Frank and Wilma struggle to respond. Despite Frank's failing vision, the two must hatch a plan to escape before Ambrosia Manor goes up in flames.
INSPIRATION
In Margaret Atwood’s darkly comedic story “Torching the Dusties,” adapted by Marlene Goldman and Philip McKee, protestors have appeared outside the gates of Ambrosia Manor. “Torching the Dusties” dramatizes issues arising from ageism, age-related macular degeneration, and Charles Bonnet Syndrome. Starring Eric Peterson and Clare Coulter, the film marks the second collaboration by writing and directing team Marlene Goldman and Philip McKee.
Like Atwood’s other famous dystopian narratives “Torching the Dusties” highlights the seductions and dangers of binary thinking. This type of thinking inevitably creates an “us” and a “them,” often with disastrous consequences. In “Torching the Dusties,” binary thinking has divided society and instigated intergenerational warfare—pitting the younger generation against frail elderly people. It has also engendered immoral and apocalyptic final solutions.
Credits
Adapted & Directed by Marlene Goldman and Philip McKee
Cinematography by Henry Sansom
Editing by Nancy Gidman-LaTorraca
Produced by Laura Nordin, Marlene Goldman
Executive Produced by Byron A. Martin
Starring Clare Coulter, Eric Peterson, Aris Tyros
