My Favorite Picture of You

Constructed from a recent discussion between his grandparents and a collection of home movies and photographs, this short documentary is a personal piece from director TJ Martin and co-director Lindsay. The very personal focus could have been a downside because it means the subject is far from the viewer but the reality here is that the presentation is broad enough that it lets us all find themes in here. The aging grandparents of the audio are affectionate but clearly weathered by time (in particular the grandmother) and this combination never lets us forget the aging process and the importance of having a life to look back on and someone to do that with.

In combination and in contrast to this we see film and photographs from the past, mainly focusing on the grandmother and again this works because we see a woman happy, caring and seemingly content even though we hear of struggles and tougher times. While Martin's grandparents are not extraordinary in this sense, Martin and Lindsay never use the film to suggest that they are so, although it is personal to them, it remains inclusion and touching to the casual viewer. The editing is very well done and generally I found the film to be moving and engaging.