One doesn’t expect a gentle, 13-minute documentary to overturn a lifetime of prejudicial thinking. But that’s what some viewers might experience if they watch Yukon filmmaker Jessica Hall’s “Saturday”.
This touching National Film Board of Canada production focuses on the shared interests of the director’s mother, Frances, and her adult sister, Katherine, who has an intellectual disability. Every Saturday, the two bond through a variety of activities, including building and renovating dollhouses.
“There were people I knew who would label Katherine and ignore her once they realized that she had an intellectual disability,” Frances says early in the film. “She would be sidelined and not considered anymore. And I didn’t want that to happen.”
Viewers learn that Katherine was born in England in 1973, moved to Hong Kong with her family in 1977, and then settled in Calgary in 1980. Thanks to her mother’s love and dedication to expand her child’s horizons, Katherine has gained tremendous independence and mastered a remarkable array of skills. The director parcels out these surprises out in steady succession, creating a delightful narrative that demolishes one stereotype after another.
“Saturday” reveals the power of love
Together, mother and daughter give meaning to Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote: “Where there is love, there is life.”
The entry into a beautiful home at the outset of the film sets the mood. The dollhouses are exquisite. Mom’s inherent wisdom is extraordinary. And the family’s digitized Super-8 footage from the 1970s and ’80s reveals how far Katherine has come on her journey.
The National Film Board of Canada describes Jessica Hall’s “Saturday” as “a visual celebration of her sister Katherine and mother Frances’s close and supportive relationship”. But it’s also an inspiring civil-rights film trumpeting the importance of paying attention to those with an intellectual disability.
Watch “Saturday” (above) on the National Film Board of Canada’s YouTube channel. The National Film Board of Canada is now streaming “Saturday” for free on its website. Learn more about the communities that make up Canada on the Toronto Spark website. The Toronto Spark is on Bluesky @torontospark.bsky.social.
