Over the past 24 hours every elderly person I’ve seen has instantly reminded me of a driven, vibrant writer or passionate actor, or passionate actor who barely spoke in full sentences. Suzanne Kode’s pink lipstick, and her(seemingly) unusual intensity towards film and Sundance stood strongest in my mind. I could not stop thinking about the segment from ‘This American Life’ that we watched. I could not stop thinking about this woman’s attempt to gain entry into Sundance. Or how serious these elderly actors were. (Or how cute)
George Kodak’s now famous last words run through my head as I think about the cast and crew of Bandita ; at 87 Kodak took his own life leaving a simple note, “My work is done. Why wait?” The founder and longtime frontman of Eastman Kodak killed himself in his very last years, for no seeming reason. He had amassed a gigantic personal fortune, was surrounded by family and close friends; successful in a myriad of ways, and yet he remained largly discontent.
I think it’s a fairly universal truth that people want to be wanted. We want to feel needed. We want to know that what we do, say, and think makes a difference for those around us. Kode remarked that after raising children she felt lost. Understandably so, her task had been accomplished-what else was she to do? This is the very understanding that Kodak had arrived at: My work is done. Why wait? Ira Glass had remarked of Kode and the Bandita folks that these were, ”… people willing themselves to the next stage in their lives, no matter what anyone around them thinks.”
Seeing these similarities between Kodak and the Bandita folks I think we arrive at another universal truth: Among other important functions, art infuses individuals with a purpose and passion, perhaps in a drastic manner, art offers us a reason to life.
Art, in all of it’s forms, is a constant work process. It is forever something to commit to, any project could be reworked, or revisited. The work evolves over time, and at a point it’s not work anymore; it’s a craft, a passion, a need to create. This creative expression becomes enriching not only for the artist, but the community is strives to reach as well. Watching Kode work and listening to her speak, it became very clear that she believes in her art. She believes that what she is doing is alive, and vital and yes, needed.