Stolen Time

Stolen Time is writer-director Helene Klodawsky’s riveting feature documentary about charismatic elder rights lawyer Melissa Miller and her mission to take on the opaque for-profit nursing-home industry. It’s Miller’s most challenging case yet: a mass tort (class action) against some of the world’s most powerful long-term care corporations. They stand accused of neglecting their vulnerable charges while reaping huge profits. Booming elderly populations worldwide add urgency to holding these corporations to account.

Most of us wish to grow old at home, continuing to live independently. But when illness or lack of support make it a necessity, either for ourselves or our loved ones, we hope to receive compassionate and trustworthy care. The realities of large corporate-owned care facilities paint a very different picture.

Stolen Time is a compelling call for justice. As well as sharing stories of desperate families who’ve turned to the courts as a last resort, Klodawsky exposes surprising testimonies and images from care workers, researchers and change-makers. We follow Miller and her team as they courageously challenge an industry noted for lack of transparency and accountability. Tensions multiply as the court challenge evolves, especially when it comes to frontline caregivers whose work is often undervalued but disproportionately blamed for what goes wrong. Miller, her clients and other advocates are a rare source of hope in the often heartless corporate care business. With cinematic verve, Stolen Time provides an inside look at a legal battle and an emerging elder justice movement.

The latest collaboration between Klodawsky and producer Ina Fichman (see also 2009’s Malls R Us and 2002’s Undying Love), Stolen Time is a disturbing but ultimately inspiring film about a game-changing legal battle with ramifications for us all, both today and into the future.