Aging On Film: Strangers in Good Company

"Strangers in Good Company" is a film about eight women, one young and seven elderly, who are stranded in the Canadian countryside when their bus breaks down on a scenic outing. As they await rescue, the women take shelter in an abandoned farmhouse, forage for food and slowly begin sharing their life stories.

While the situation is fictional, the women's sharing is very real. None of the them were professional actresses, they were encouraged to ad-lib their own dialogue and each played herself, not some made-up character.

We meet some unforgettable women in the film: a resourceful Mohawk Indian, a wise lesbian, a take-charge Catholic nun, and a joyous heart attack survivor.

"Watching this film," as one reviewer put it, "we are challenged to think about the stories of our own lives and our times in the country of the long-lived."