Film series will show ‘Quality Problems’ on Aug. 17
TOWN OF ULSTER, N.Y. “Quality Problems,” an intelligent comedy-drama about parents trying to keep their family as normal as possible while the mother copes with breast cancer, is this month’s Movies With Spirit presentation.
The film will be shown Saturday, Aug. 17, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills, 320 Sawkill Road.
The award-winning independent film is based on true events in actress Brook Purdy’s real life. She stars in the film with her real-life husband and children.
In the story, Bailey (Brooke Purdy) and Drew (Doug Purdy) are a hardworking couple in their early 40s just getting by with their two school-age children, Max (Maxwell Purdy) and Scout (Scout Purdy). Brooke is an exercise coach and Drew is a carpenter–handyman.
Both parents have good senses of humor, and both are loving and playful. With humor and grace, they weather the usual financial and parental challenges. Until cancer reshuffles the deck, as Bailey’s breast cancer returns two weeks before Scout turns 8 — and Bailey and Drew are preparing for her birthday party. On top of that, the family is increasingly responsible for Bailey’s father, Clyde (Chris Mulkey), who has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Drew, not knowing what to do, tries to “fix” Bailey and takes as many handyman jobs as he can handle. But Bailey doesn’t want to be fixed. She wants to be well. For themselves and especially for their children, Bailey and Drew do their best to maintain a sense of humor and to keep life at home as close as possible to how things were before cancer. As part of that, the film shares day-day-day conflicts and life’s absurdities, which keep a family together.
The screening will be followed by a facilitated discussion. Refreshments will be served. The film’s trailer can be found on YouTube at tinyurl.com/Quality-Problems-Trailer. The movie runs 1 hour 46 minutes and is not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. It would probably have a PG-13 rating.
The Kingston screening will be followed by a facilitated discussion. Refreshments will be served. Attendees over age 12 are asked to contribute $10 a person.
The monthly Movies With Spirit series, organized by Gerry Harrington of Kingston, seeks to stimulate people’s sense of joy
and wonder, inspire love and compassion, evoke a deepened understanding of people’s integral connection with others and with life itself, and support individual cultures, faith paths and beliefs while simultaneously transcending them. The films are screened in diverse houses of worship and reverence across Ulster and Dutchess counties at 7 p.m. on the third Saturday of every month. The series has no religious affiliation.
For more information about “Quality Problems” and the rest of the series,
call Harrington at (845) 389-9201 or send an email to gerryharrington@mindspring.com. Details are also available at facebook.com/MoviesWithSpirit.
Rhinebeck Jewish Center hosts Cantorial Shabbat
A Cantorial Shabbat will take place Friday, Aug. 16, at 7 p.m. at the Rhinebeck Jewish Center, 102 Montgomery St.
Services will take place at 7 p.m., followed by the dinner at 7:30 p.m.
A donation of $25 is suggested. To RSVP, send an email to tziviehect@gmail.com.