Granny Power
Where: Cineplex Odeon
When: Today, 6:30 p.m.
Rating: 3/5 stars
It seems only fair that the late director Magnus Isacsson’s documentary about the Raging Grannies would make its world première in Victoria. After all, this is where the offbeat gaggle of aging activists — who spawned a worldwide movement — first got off their rockers in 1987 to satirically protest the arms race, corporate greed, human rights and environmental abuses.
And fairness is what this irrepressible gang of grannies — known for their cheeky creativity, pink brollies, flowery hats and playfully provocative protest songs — is all about.
It also seems appropriate that, given their showmanship, this very conventional documentary recounting highlights such as their antics at the Montebello G-20 summit and protest of the presence of U.S. nuclear submarines off the B.C. coast, would begin on Broadway.
It flashes back to when 18 “grannies” were arrested by New York police after trying to enlist at Times Square’s military recruitment centre to protest “an amoral war.” (They were later acquitted.)
Love them or hate them, this unabashedly reverential tribute to these colourful, strong-willed women is a lively testament to the power of grassroots activism by seniors who, while happily making fools of themselves for a cause, have helped inspire a new generation of protesters with social media on their side.