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Life
Lessons from "A Soldier's Passage"
An article by Tom Gilbert
- copyright ©July 29, 2019
Life
lessons can be learned from the passing of elders as shown in Paul
Ingles' loving tribute to his father with the film, "A Soldier's
Passage".
Anyone who has been present for the final breaths of a loved one's long
life understands that it is a transformational experience. Death comes
to us all and if we are fortunate enough to be surrounded by loving
family members then it can be a very holy moment.
For Paul Ingles, writer/director/actor in A Soldier's Passage -
Conversations from the last mile of the long march home,
witnessing the passing of his father was a gift, one he says was "the
most profound experience I've ever experienced."
Ingles' based his first
feature-length film on the final months of an elder's life and he
also played himself in the mostly true reenactment of the final months and eventual passing of his WWII veteran
father. Paul changes the names of family members and other key people,
such as his therapist who helps him through the process of those final
months, but clearly the real life events on which the docu-drama is
based contains many meaningful life lessons.
Among those lessons, learned through the great teacher, experience, is
patience when elders begun to struggle with end-of-life
physical, mental and emotional trials. We must be patient with the
elder and also with ourselves. Dying is part of living, and for those
who live long lives and eventually pass from the complications of old
age or disease, it's a process.
The film moves at a deliberate and sometimes slow pace. This gives it
plenty of time to develop the story of a man facing the impending end
of a long life. The "old soldier" is in decline and he's dealing with
both the frustrations of a body that no longer allows him to be
independent and also the anxiety and eventually desire for the end to
come. Support from family members, with all it's sacrifice and
emotional toll, is explored. The father is able to open up about his
marriage and parenting. He remembers some of the frightening events
from his war experience as part of General Patton's army in the Battle
of the Bulge. He also relishes his lifelong love of baseball and his
favorite team, the Boston Red Sox, who finally won a world series in
his lifetime.
In the end we find we've been privy to some intimate moments. Those
moments can be personal treasurers, as I've experienced with the
passing of my own parents.
For those interested in exploring A Soldier's Passage more deeply, Paul Ingles will be conducting a two-session discussion and screening of the film through the Oasis Program on August 14 and 21 (info here).
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