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clip 2Clip description
An older woman approaches her older male partner and caresses and kisses him.
Curator’s notes
This clip is not the first time in the film we see close-ups of wrinkled skin and grey hair. The filmmakers deliberately set out to challenge established conventions of beauty and sexuality, and highlight how they are continually reinforced by film and television.
The couple in the clip are seen initiating lovemaking. Even today, not only are older people rarely depicted on film in a sexual relationship, but also for many just the idea of sex between old people is still controversial. While this is a personal matter, the potential for problems arises when combined with issues relating to privacy and residential care facilities. In a 1980s survey of aged residential care staff, many stated that they would have difficulty accepting residents choosing to sleep together or attempting to maintain a sexual relationship with each other. In 1988 Health Media produced The Heart Has No Wrinkles, a video, directed by Wendy Thompson, dealing specifically with the subject. That video is still used today to introduce the issue to workers in the aged care industries.
