Great Escaper Monday, May 27, 2024 at 7:00 PM PDT

In the summer of 2014 — the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings — octogenarian Bernie Jordan (Michael Caine) made global headlines. He’d staged a “great escape” from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy, commemorating their fallen comrades. It was a story that captured the imagination of the world — Bernie seemed to embody the defiant, “can-do” spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing. But of course, it wasn’t the whole story. It was the story we all tell ourselves to make war and old age bearable. The bitter-sweet script explores the reality with wit and a very big heart. Bernie’s adventure, spanning a mere 48 hours, also marked the culmination of his 60-year marriage to Irene (Glenda Jackson) — the story celebrates their love without sentimentality and with an eye to the lessons we can all learn from the Greatest Generation.

Reel Alternatives is a monthly fundraiser bringing Toronto Film Festival’s critically acclaimed films to the Cowichan Valley. This year’s circuit will feature five acclaimed films. All proceeds go directly to benefiting individuals and families in Cowichan through Cowichan Hospice by ensuring hospice services are available when they need them.