Press/Reviews

Our press kit:

Audience reactions

Recent showings to test audiences in Berkeley, CA, Philadelphia, PA, and Vancouver, BC, yielded these responses:

• “Compelling viewing, very moving” — Peter, 65, retired
• “Awesome. Why does life need people like Carla to make us realize what we should already know.” — Tom, 50, businessman
• “Carla has an amazing sense of humour.” — Tim, 47,  mechanic,
• “I really enjoyed the whole fucking thing,especially the parts where I cried” — Justin, 36, carpenter
• “Loved the off the wall humour.”  — Chester, 55, painter
• “An amazing film, one of the best I’ve ever seen.” — Sam, 21, tradesman
• “Awesome, the humor is outstanding given the subject matter.” Tom, 48, carpenter
• “This movie kept me laughing and I will always remember Carla.” — Susanna, 24, hotel supervisor
• “Thanks for introducing me to Carla.Her humour in the face of adversity is what I enjoyed most.” —Jean, 53, designer
• “Carla is a brave lady to make such a heart rending film, inspiring but sad.” — anonymous female, 65, retired
• “Thank you for introducing me to Carla who is fucking amazing. She has had a major impact on me.” —Vickie, 36, bartender
• “The movie is a true inspiration.I now cherish everything I took for granted an hour ago.” — Jenny, 24, waitress
• “It made me laugh and cry.” —Melody, 26, photographer
• “I really loved the film.It was powerful and inspiring, funny and highly entertaining.” — Christina, 27, lawyer
• “Loved it,a really strong movie and emotional experience.” — Rami, 21, college student
• “It seemed like the film would be a difficult balancing act between the seriousness of Carla’s illness and her humor but the film was a perfect blend of the two.” — Mark, 24, film editor
• “Carla is fucking brilliant.” — Anonymous female, 24, public relations
• “Bravo. I really liked that Carla talked about her ALS experiences in a positive way.” — Lauren, 21, student
• “I really enjoyed the inspirational parts that remind us to live life to the fullest.” — Tanya, 33, filmmaker
• “Very up and down emotionally, you go from sad to glad in seconds.” — Karl, 49, contractor
• “A moving movie. I really enjoted seeing a sense of humor from a person that’s dying.” — Alphonse, 56, taxi driver
• “Fucking just great.” — John, 57, cabinet maker
• “I thought I was going to see a movie about dying, and was surprised to find that it was a movie about living! – Mary Ellen, 58, teacher
• “Honest, heartbreaking, hilarious, and heady.” – Julia, 41, physical therapist

Reviews

Review of LEAVE THEM LAUGHING by Michael Murray for FILMbutton.com:

“Leave Them Laughing. It’s a documentary about a stand-up comic who’s dying of Lou Gehrig’s disease.”

I think I sighed.

“But it’s supposed to be absolutely hilarious!” he quickly added.

This, I knew, was a movie I absolutely did not want to see.

Like a lot of people, I’ve had some medical miseries, and the last thing I wanted to do was revisit the terror and trauma of those days. I didn’t want to watch, against a backdrop of impersonal hospital wings, as somebody slowly disintegrated from both their own life and the lives of those around them.

Didn’t want to do it.

And my fears were not even remotely assuaged when my friend told me the movie was “hilarious.” No, in fact, this amplified my dread. I imagined a needy and unknown comic, somebody who never quite made it, now determined to exploit her own demise in a final spasm toward fame. I saw this person in my mind’s eye—up on stage, conspicuous and slightly demented, using the pity garnered from the audience, as the final, much needed and validating ego boost she’d sought her entire career.

Not. For. Me.

I saw the film anyway, and let me tell you, all of those preconceived anxieties of mine were completely blown away.

Leave Them Laughing is a touching, portrait of Carla Zilbersmith, who guides us into her final stages of the fatal disease ALS. Told with wisdom and humour. It’s an admirably restrained document, one that never begs for the love or sympathy of the audience, or descends into cloying sentimentality.

Much of the credit for this must be given to the Academy Award winning director, John Zaritsky. After reading about Zilbersmith in the Globe and Mail, Zaritsky visited her Blog, watched some of her performance pieces on YouTube and then called her to discuss the possibilities of making a movie. Almost immediately, as time was of the essence, they began to shoot the film. (listen to explanation in John’s own words at Hot Docs screening Q&A)

Zilbersmith, who lives in Berkeley, California, is a 46 year-old performer of ballads, comedy and self-parody, and somebody who much more than the rest of us, is completely capable of telling her own story, which she does with surprising wisdom and intelligence.

What I found so refreshing and unexpected about this film is that although the circumstance of her illness is the launching point, its not where we end up. The movie is about her. She’s a mother and a daughter, a singer and a comedienne, a sexually frustrated hedonist who’s pissed-off at her ex-husband, and a billion different other things, and although many of these things are influenced by ALS, they’re not defined by it.

There’s sunlight and joy in this movie, and although it’s a stretch to call it hilarious, it is funny and alive, and watching it feels more like spending time with somebody you wished was one of your good friends, than guiltily absorbing the misery of a stranger.

Maclean, Carla’s son and the love of her life, have an incredible chemistry . Between them exists a darkly jubilant interplay, and it’s touching and inspiring to watch as Carla tries to help her 16 year-old son grow up, and he, in turn, tries, in his way, to help her to leave hers. (insert mac’s audio)

The movie, which is stitched together with videos of Carla’s singing performances, comedic observations, interviews and snippets of her life and imagination, eventually forms a cohesive tapestry. We watch as Carla sings in jazz clubs, fully aware that with her diminishing strength, each time could be her last. We see her with her son, releasing helium balloons off the balcony, watching the “brilliant pins of colour vanishing into the sky,” We see the Out Of Order tattoos she got on each one of her feet, and we share in the astonishment of Zilbersmith, as she, so ironic and sophisticated, is touched by the simplest things.

In one such moment, she goes to Holy Land, a Christian theme park, where she plans to give a Valentine’s Day gift to the character that plays Jesus in the park’s daily flogging reenactment. It’s clear that she’s doing this as a satirist, intending to reveal the commercial artifice of the place in the face of her very real suffering. But nothing of the sort happens. As she gives her gifts to a girl clad in a period costume (who will pass it on to the Jesus actor), Carla adds that she’s dying of ALS, as a sort of comedic rim shot. Instead of awkward shock and discomfort, the girl exhibits grace, and with sincere tears trickling down her face, blesses Carla, reassuring her that she would soon be with Jesus. Carla had been expecting to find herself in control of this exchange, but in the face of the authenticity and profound empathy of the moment, found herself also in tears, immensely, profoundly moved by this simple, heartfelt and unexpected compassion.

The entire movie manages to confound expectations throughout. Just when we think we’ve found a safe distance from Carla’s reality, a feeling she might in fact be sharing, we experience her, and our, fleeting humanity with redoubled intensity.

After watching the movie I went to Carla’s Blog with the intention of, well, seeing if she was still alive, and if so, leaving a message to let her know how much I liked the movie. Quickly scanning the site, I saw that her last post was May 1st, and feeling confident that there would be future posts, hurried off to a meeting, thinking I would write her later.

Later, the director John Zaritsky told me that what I had seen was her final post, (listen to son, Mac, give reason for final post at Hot Docs screening Q&A) and that her health was so poor that her death was expected anytime, perhaps even before the premiere of her movie.

I don’t’ know, I don’t want to be too corny about this– as neither Carla nor the director ever got too melodramatic about her circumstance—but this struck me as acutely poignant, serving to remind me how urgent the world and our lives really are, and how essential it is to be present in the lives of those we love, and those who love us. (listen to son, Mac, tell us what Carla thinks of the film at Hot Docs screening Q&A)

http://www.filmbutton.com/mainpage/?p=1272

TO411 documentary review of LEAVE THEM LAUGHING by staff writer Daisy Maclean

The 2010 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival ended with a weekend full of awards presentations to the top films and film makers this year. Many of these awards come with cash prizes that help both seasoned and emerging filmmakers continue to create the work that moves us. Among the films honoured this year were two unique films that were in the top ten audience favourites at the festival: Waste Land and Leave Them Laughing. The latter also won the Special Jury prize for Canadian Feature. Poignant and courageous these two films focus on the smaller everyday battles we wage against the hand that life has dealt us. 

Leave Them Laughing: Oscar award winning Canadian documentary director John Zaritsky takes us on a 90-minute journey into the life and oncoming death of Carla Zilbersmith. Once a vibrant performer, Carla has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease and given two years left to live, however she is determined to suck every last drop of pleasure from life before she has to go. “‘Dead is the new alive.’ Now I know what you’re thinking: I was just being trendy. But trust me, it won’t be long before all of you start to follow my lead.” If you like dark comedy (as I do), then this is your film, it doesn’t get any darker than this. Created from interviews, footage from her final defiant travels to Mexico, the US and Britain, and flashbacks to her healthier days as a singer and comedian, the film centers around her and her son’s capacity for humour in the face of overwhelming tragedy. Just a year after the diagnosis, Carla’s body has noticeably deteriorated and so she has “Out of Order” tattooed onto her feet. This film isn’t as crushingly depressing as it sounds, nor does Carla pretend that dying is a laugh, instead the film eloquently points out when to cry and when to take things lightly, all the while reminding us to treasure the special days that come our way. Full of moments that are laugh out loud funny as well as those that will have you reaching for the tissue, it is a film that will most likely leave you reeling emotionally, not knowing what to do with yourself afterward. The answer is: live. Leaving behind this glorious film as a memento mori, Carla is currently teaching her parrot, who will outlive her, to say “This woman is dead.”

http://to411daily.com/2010/05/14/hot-docs-wrap-act-3-against-the-odds/

Endorsement by the ALS Society of Ontario

The magic of LEAVE THEM LAUGHING is not only in the story itself but in the way it is told. Living with ALS is often times a topic mainstream media hesitate to touch – it’s too depressing is the common reply. Usually that statement is true, unless you find those with a spirit to outshine their situation.

This is the case with Carla Zilbersmith, who is documented in LEAVE THEM LAUGHING as she lives with the final stages of ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS Ontario is proud to be a sponsor of this film at the Hot Docs Film Festival.

This disease, as you know, progressively takes your body from you, usually piece by piece, leaving your mind aware and functioning.

Carla’s mind is as ever sharp and on display in a pre-mortem that ends up making you laugh repeatedly and harder than you would cry. This film is an inspirational message about one woman’s battle with ALS and how she will not let it conquer her spirit.

I see this often in my work with ALS Ontario, but never has it been displayed in such a humorous story, yet never diminishing the devastating effects of the disease.

I was at both screenings of the film in the Toronto Hot Docs festival, offering brochures to audience members who likely have never seen the first-hand effects of this illness. But audience members displayed the effects of this inspirational documentary – they were thrilled with the film, moved, touched and motivated. Many spoke to me after the film and you could see how the movie stirred them – I was thrilled with the immediate response.

One audience member has been motivated to host a private screening of the film, incorporating a fundraising portion into the event, in the near future. This is an important way to spread awareness and raise funds for the cause and encourage other associations, who may not be able to donate directly to the film, to follow a similar concept.

I had to thank the director personally as his story in LEAVE THEM LAUGHING is just what the general public needs. It’s what ALS, to improve its awareness, needs.

However, the film is not finished due to lack of funding (one audience member remarked how much she loved it, but sadly could not hear all the jokes due to poor sound quality) and it needs to be at the fully developed and professional stage it, and Carla, deserves.

Please help this film become as stellar as it can be. This film deserves it. Those living with ALS, and all touched by its far-reaching fingers, need it.

Sincerely,

Kathryn Dunmore,
ALS Ontario
kathryn@alsont.ca

Carla the Canadian takes you through the whole range of her complex emotions, thoughts and dreams that come with loss and dying in a frank yet humorous delivery. Fast-paced and comedic this is a visual legacy she can be proud of–entertaining as it is touching, so bring someone you care about with you to share this film. … Read More

I first met Carla leading up to Expo ‘86 in Vancouver. She was in an original musical production, “Captive”, where I was a stage assistant. She was back for the summer from Boston–a stand out singer and performer that had as all laughing with the characters she developed on stage. Off stage she was the most generous, sweet and open human being I’d ever met, plus she was the only person I’d ever known who had been mugged multiple times. Killing herself in rehearsal, then going home to sew into night making pretty cotton jumpsuits for the other performers. Nothing slowed her down, not even a serious case of the flu or more recently ALS.

When she left Vancouver for the shiny career ahead of her in the US, I was so excited for her. Fast forward some 20 plus years ahead and I am blown away by how successful her career became, but more so by what a devoted and sensitive mom she is to Mac and Ronnie the parrot.

John Zaritsky explained to the audience that he sought out Carla after reading a quotation from her in a newspaper, because it made him laugh. They started filming right away given that Carla is on a mortal deadline, before they had funding in place. So go to “Leave Them Laughing” and learn about funny foreign condoms, the mystique of the redhead, midlife crises, divorce, getting into an American university, life in a motorized wheelchair and how to make your doctors laugh until they burst the buttons on their starched white coats. This movie will leave you loving Carla, MacLen, Ronnie and life itself.”