Digital content provided by hoopla. Participants, Walter Breuning, Besse Cooper, Juana Bautista, Ruth Anderson, Mary Tankursley, Hunter Weeks, Sarah E. Hall.
Summary:
WALTER is a feel good documentary film following a young couple, Hunter and Sarah, as they travel the world learning life lessons from the world's oldest people. The film was shot on location in Montana, Minnesota, Texas, Georgia, Washington, Cuba, and Italy between 2010 and 2012. Delivering advice, anecdotes, and inspiration from the world's oldest people, WALTER is the 5th feature film from director, Hunter Weeks. Hunter Weeks met Walter Breuning in 2010 when Walter was 113 years old. It was a meeting that Hunter couldn't stop thinking about. A year later, Hunter sat down again with Walter Breuning in Great Falls, Montana to talk about his life in the early 1900s and his takeaways from an extraordinarily long life. Walter could talk at length about his earliest memories, the1906 San Francisco earthquake, the Great Depression, and both World Wars. Besse Cooper would often only speak when she needed something. Walter lived nearly independently at a retirement home while Besse spent much of her time in bed. Though so close in age, their lifestyles varied greatly. Fascinated with the differences between Besse and Walter, Hunter and Sarah also sought out supercentenarians; Juana Bautista, Ruth Anderson, Mary Tankursley, and Sister Cecilia Gaudette. Juxtaposing a couple at the start of their life together and supercentenarians nearing the end of the road, WALTER is less about science and longevity and more about the lessons and values for living a happy life with the time you have.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.