GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH!

Limited time - use promo code: TRUESTORY50 at checkout

Portrait of Kaye

Portrait of Kaye

Restricted by her lifelong agoraphobia, Kaye has spent most of her life within the four walls of her parents’ house. Finding relief from her fears in the faces and lives of old film stars, she pastes their images alongside those of her deceased family on the walls of her house, creating a kaleidoscopic collage that mixes personal history with Hollywood fantasy. Told first-hand via freewheeling monologues, Portrait of Kaye is a bittersweet portrait of a woman forming her own unique identity while navigating the conflicting influences of her mother’s bawdy humour and her father’s anxieties. Now 74 and recently widowed, her infatuation with a younger neighbour gives her an opportunity to explore personal and sexual freedoms that have always been hidden away.

Dir. Ben Reed - 56min - 2021 - UK, Finland

Head to the True Story blog for an introduction to Portrait of Kaye by director Ben Reed, and stills from the film: https://truestoryfilm.blog/

"a loving, kitschy monument...it is part character study, part time-capsule, but somehow far more expansive than either of those terms might immediately suggest. Much like it's protagonist, Portrait of Kaye transcends its confines through the preservation of memories" - Sight & Sound

"What a delight...Kaye comes over like Miss Havisham crossed with the mother and daughter Edies from Grey Gardens, with a bit of Carry On thrown in" - Guardian

"a unique and touching meditation on family, film and the meaning of freedom....bold, rich and poetic " Sheffield Doc Fest, Winner of UK Competition Special Jury Prize

Portrait of Kaye
  • Portrait of Kaye

    Dir. Ben Reed - 56min - 2021 - UK, Finland

    Restricted by her lifelong agoraphobia, Kaye has spent most of her life within the four walls of her parents’ house. Finding relief from her fears in the faces and lives of old film stars, she pastes their images alongside those of her deceased family o...

Extras

  • Portrait Of Kaye - Trailer

    Whilst awaiting the return of a younger lover, an agoraphobic film buff in her 70’s recounts her history through a series of comic monologues and eccentric home movies.