Canadian attorney Melissa Miller fights for the defenseless, specifically the elderly living in long-term care facilities throughout the country. As the documentary lays out, long-term care homes for the aged is a multi-million dollar industry with some of the top people in the Canadian government working on the boards of some of these companies. At the same time, these homes have been accused of all manner of things from abuse to neglect. As Helene Klodawsky’s documentary, Stolen Time, lays out, Miller isn’t just trying to get help for her clients but to topple an industry riddled with systemic errors.
Miller’s day-to-day life as an attorney is laid out, as well as numerous interactions with the family members of those living in care homes. Alongside the individual cases she’s working on, Miller wants to hold three of the biggest names in the Canadian nursing home industry—Extendicare, Revera Inc., and Sienna Senior Living—by filing a mass tort against the companies. Klodawsky showcases the various people working with Melissa, like Brett Rigby, a private investigator, as well as various talking heads in the elder abuse community.
Similar to investigative journalism stories like Bananas (2009), I Am Not Your Negro (2016) or Chasing Coral (2017), Klodawsky seeks to bring awareness to a marginalized community that often can’t speak for themselves: mainly the elderly. There’s a kinship between this and other documentaries about disability rights, like Jim LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham’s Crip Camp (2020). While the documentary doesn’t go down the path of illustrating how this is a disabled issue, Miller reiterates that they are analogous.
It’s impossible to watch Stolen Time without being angered at a system that little people know about. A documentary like this has a goal to aim awareness and compel viewers to spark change by taking an interest, and that is accomplished here. There are moments that bring genuine emotion seeing how the elderly are treated. Miller’s fight is shown as important to everyone, those who are elderly and those who will be one day. Recommended.
Which public library collections should include this elder abuse documentary?
This documentary would fit well in curated tributes to Documentary as Social Justice or Raising Awareness Through Documentary. It would also fit well in selections aimed at elderly or disabled rights issues. Stolen Time also fits well for those looking for documentaries by female filmmakers or focused on female subjects. It would also be of benefit for those looking for documentaries on the legal system or disabled/elderly legal issues. Those looking for stories about Canadian legal issues will also find this has worth.
Why is Stolen Time an essential documentary on elder abuse?
Stolen Time is a critical look at the Canadian long-term care industry and its mistreatment of the elderly, making it essential viewing for those interested in elder abuse, healthcare policy, and legal accountability. The film reveals how systemic neglect and corporate profit intersect, often at the expense of vulnerable populations.