BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – The documentary film “Cycle of Memory” will be shown at the Rockingham Library on Saturday, May 4, at 2 p.m. “Cycle of Memory” follows filmmaker Alex Leff and his younger sibling Koby, as they try to uncover the past and capture the present, in order to be remembered in the future.
Their grandfather Mel Schwartz escaped the Great Depression on a bicycle adventure he’d remember for the rest of his life – until Mel lost his memory to Alzheimer’s. Now, over 75 years later, his grandchildren set out to recreate his life-changing journey, and find those memories before they slip away. This film explores the importance of intergenerational connection, healing painful pasts, and leaving a meaningful time capsule for the future. Guided by old photographs of the 1945 trip, they search for places aged by time. But, while searching for Grandpa Mel’s past, the two are confronted with their own fraught history. If they’re going to complete the turbulent journey, they’ll have to face their own emotional potholes and tumultuous relationship.
With the help of a grandmother learning to live alone for the first time, Mel’s lifelong friend and coadventurer on the bike trip, and a family collection spanning 1950s film reels to 1990s video tapes, “Cycle of Memory” explores the importance of intergenerational connection, healing painful pasts, and leaving a meaningful time capsule for the future.
“Cycle of Memory” appeals most readily to bicyclists, adventurers of all types, and anyone who is affected by a loved one with Alzheimer’s. However, all of us are involved with the cycle of life, which this film adeptly portrays as well. For those who wish to stay, there will be a brief discussion after the film. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, email programming@rockinghamlibrary.org, call 802-463-4270, or stop by the library at 65 Westminster Street in Bellows Falls.