Film by Danielle Sellwood and Alex Rotas
Most films about sport are all about the winning. This one is all about the staying. Younger – Looking Forward to Getting Older, tells the story of athletes in the second half of their lives, some well into their 80s. Every five years, they move into a new competition age group, and find themselves the youngest, once again. It’s a quiet, powerful portrait of resilience and sheer grit. It gifts its viewers, of any age, an entirely new picture of what ageing looks like. It looks pretty good.
The film is the love child of two women, Danielle Sellwood and Alex Rotas, who shared a passion and practice of sport from childhood, one as a canoeist, the other a tennis pro. As they moved into their 3rd Quarters, they were horrified by the prevailing view of older age as sad and sedentary.
Alex Rotas (left) and Danielle Sellwood
“I hit 60,” admits Rotas “and became depressed by the negative images that dominated the visual narrative of older men and women.” She decided to do something about it by offering an alternative lens – literally. She became a professional photographer. “I bought myself a camera, took some lessons, and started photographing older track and field athletes. Those who compete nationally and internationally.” That was 14 years ago. “Suddenly, I was meeting people in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s (yes, and beyond) who bust a gut both in training and competition, yet who are absolutely full of joy. It changed my life – and attitude.”
Anne Credit
Danielle Sellwood admits to also having been changed in the making of this movie. She was a competitive canoeist and sportswear designer-turned-journalist and filmmaker with a passion for women’s stories. And sports. When she first discovered Alex Rotas’ arresting images of older athletes and their riveting personal stories of resilience and courage, she immediately wanted to make a film with her new friend. They banded together to share the feel-good injection of joy and inspiration they had gotten from their subjects. But more, they wanted to share three lessons they had learned about ageing from these athletes:
- It’s Never Too Late – “Many of these athletes only took up their sport in their 50s,” says Sellwood. “That means I can too. I’ve decided to do an Ironman when I turn 60.” People look at her images of athletes and do a double take, laughs Rotas. “The athletes have grey hair and wrinkles and yet they’re pole-vaulting or sprinting over hurdles!” You can be old and beautiful, she learned, as well as fiercely determined. It rewires your own brain to see these images of people who may be decades older than you, doing things you may think are forever behind you. “It’s reframed what my later life will look like,” admits Sellwood. “Despite all the noise telling me I can’t. I can.”
- Belonging is ‘Winning’ – What jumps from the film is the community that springs up between these athletes who travel the world together to compete. “We wanted to do homage,” says Rotas, “both to the individuals we had met and to this wonderful community.” It is a million miles from the stories of isolated, lonely elders, as these athletes encourage and support each other through successes, but also through failures, illnesses and setbacks. It offers a portrait of what social engagement can look like once it is wound around a passion that brings people together regularly with shared goals.
- Purpose is A Super-Power – For many, it’s also clear that sport serves as purpose in life. The routine, the repetition, the resilience and the not-giving-up is what keeps them going. These athletes know how tough it is to compete at this level, and what the training involves. They also know that “crap happens” as we get older. It’s training not just for sport, but for life. As one 80-year-old admits after her run, no matter how she does, “I’m glad just to be here.”
Jane and Susan, winning.
Five years after Sellwood and Rotas’ first meeting, their film received a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd at the recent Kendall Mountain Festival in the UK’s Lake District, devoted to all things sport and the great outdoors. “People didn’t want to leave the cinema,” says Sellwood. “They said the film gave them hope.” Many people are dreading the gift of longer lives that we’ve been given. One movie-goer admitted “I’m not yet 60 but have been already dreading ‘getting older’. I’m so happy to have seen this film! It’s changed my thinking right around.”
Another man, 69, in tears, shared that he “thought my life was over after my recent heart attack. Seeing this film has made me completely rethink. It’s given me hope.” Another admitted she “can’t believe the negativity that surrounds ageing in our culture. You’d think we were all destined for the sofa, with all our aches and pains. And then you see this!”
We need to have more hope and optimism about our future selves. This film will help. By shining a light on a community of people who’ve dumped the stereotypes and are redefining ageing, together. This film really isn’t about winning that war, though, but about the joy of playing the game. Far longer than we thought possible. It’s a bit of a magic pill. Watching it makes you feel younger.
Rashpur, running
