“I adore my mother. She’s the first lady of my life,” says filmmaker Denys Desjardins about his mother, Madeleine. Now that she’s older and unable to live on her own anymore, it is his turn to take care of her. Together with his sister Maryse, Denys makes the difficult decision to find a long-term care facility for Madeleine, who is increasingly losing her memory. Many frustrating phone calls later, Maryse manages to place Madeleine in a care home.

Shot in the verite style of a video diary, Desjardins’ film uses an empathic lens and his tender observations to tell the story of his family’s struggle with navigating the Quebec healthcare system. Their story becomes emblematic of Canada and a shocking failure to care well for our elderly. Touching, tender, and engrossing, this portrait of a family under duress shines a light on an urgent and necessary subject.