57 minutes / Color
Closed Captioned
Release: 2022
Copyright: 2022
TODAY opens with filmmaker Su Friedrich’s left foot stretched out in front of her as she lies in bed. Overhead, a ceiling fan whirs. Friedrich takes another deep breath and says to no one in particular, “Try to pay attention to the moment".
Friedrich is a pioneering queer filmmaker who has been making ground-breaking personal films for decades. In TODAY, she again eschews conventional narrative, observing her world over a six-year period. It’s a time that includes a country vacation and a city cookout. Also the loss of loved ones and the spread of a pandemic—plus the brightness of flowers, both real and fake.
Choice morsels of documentary footage from the neighborhood of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn and beyond are augmented with her wry observations and witty on-screen text in this casual, engrossing portrait of daily life.
Friedrich thought that using her camera to ‘live in the moment’ would give her access to seeing the wonders of the world, but instead it meant she saw exactly what was in front of her, be it devastating or uplifting.
“Friedrich has always been an inventive filmmaker, giving us multiple ways into her stories… TODAY is about listening and paying attention, but it is also about community and the small moments we share that connect us. The smallest moment can have the deepest meaning.” —Educational Media Reviews Online
“Celebrated for pioneering contributions to queer cinema, Friedrich adopts an innovative approach in Today. Endeavoring to "live in the moment" through her camera, the filmmaker discloses the inspiring and sorrowful facets of the world surrounding her, merging documentary footage with trademark humor and commentary, resulting in a captivating and informal depiction of everyday life.” —Chris Jones, Overly Honest Movie Reviews
“Time, and its passing, is at the heart of Friedrich’s new slices-of-life film, by turns a personal memoir, tender portrait of a neighborhood, and moving commentary on aging and loss.” —Camera Femina
“One of the most gifted editors in experimental cinema. The gentle mood of TODAY also has to do with the gracefulness of Friedrich’s filmmaking, which is always a joy to behold.” —Cinefile
Select Accolades:
Filmmaker Su Friedrich moves her fiesty mother into an "independent living" facility.
Su Friedrich | 2018 | 42 minutes / Color | Closed Captioned
