Sardonic and sweet, Curmudgeons follows the story of two lovers separated by their retirement homes.

Between the quiet, simple shots, drained lighting and general dreariness, you’d be forgiven for expecting a depressing documentary rather than a love story. The main flash of brightness comes from the many houseplants given to Ralph – and these are the bane of his existence. Other attempts at optimism are similarly subdued in the bleak retirement home; the only upside that Robin can find about her grandfather’s life is that “ you got… doilies and shit.” The attempts to look on the bright side are like a torch shining through a cracked window – for example, Ralph’s description of his late wife as “a good mother – and a fun drunk!” would be charming if it wasn’t in answer to the question of whether he loved her.

With all this, and the name Curmudgeons, in mind, you might brace yourself for something depressing. You’d be wrong. the film is in fact a triumph of optimism over bleakness. For all their flaws, the characters have a unpretentious charm to them. Love is treated with a refreshing sincerity. He and Jackie don’t sugar coat themselves – “asshole” is practically a pet name – but Ralph revels in being “eighty years old and in love for the first time”. Love fills in the quiet moments between snappy dialogue, in no small part because of the fantastic cast. Devito doesn’t add spangles to the shots; he has no need to. A close shot of Ralph stroking Jackie’s stubble is enough to show quiet intimacy as enchanting in its own right.

It can be difficult to explore love in film: how do you have a meaningful discussion about something so deeply personal when your audience cannot reply? Devito’s way around this is to let love and hope speak through the silence, sparkling through what at first looks like misery. Where Hollywood often ignores anyone over 50 as at best romantically dead, Devito insists that love is not done with anyone who still yearns for it.

If you would like to watch Curmudgeons, you can find it here: https://vimeo.com/159449591