Directed by: Riley Engemoen, Liz Moskowitz
Forcefield of Love is a short documentary about the eternal ability of love to transform, surprise and inspire.
Dan and Doris, an American couple in their 80s, are the subject matter of this hugely life-affirming documentary. Together and very consciously, they go against the grain by embodying the energy of what society often regards as ‘young love’: clamorous, expressive, physical, and sexually active. ‘Dan and I, whatever we wanna do, we do it’, says Doris, fully expressing the freedom with which they live their lives and their relationship. ‘We’re just a couple in love’, says Dan as they visit a café, catching people’s attention with their energy, and turning heads with their colourful, totally fearless outfits. It is almost as if they are local celebrities.
It won’t surprise the audience that Dan and Doris have each already had their long-lived love story, which in both cases ended with the loss of their partner, not separation. This is an important point because it surely has bearing on how they have approached life after those experiences – which seems to be with complete gratitude and love of the present.
Forcefield of Love comprises relaxed, lively sit-down interviews with Dan and Doris, both separately and together, as well as following them as they relax together, go dancing, go out for coffee, walk together, and sit amongst flowers. Strangers who see them unfailingly respond to their energy.
‘I want to fulfil my humanity’ says Dan as he talks about what love means for him. This is a really precise phrase that gets to the heart of what love is- the essence of existence, the basis on which we should and can make our choices every day.
It’s brilliant to see a documentary that showcases, without dramatism and quite philosophically, the magical and unexpected in how we relate to each other. Forcefield of Love is a real testament to the genre, as well as its inspiring protagonists.