BEST BOY: mum's the word

This 1980 Oscar winner for Best Documentary follows three years in the life of mentally disabled middle aged Phillip Wohl - Philly - as he takes his first steps towards a more independent existence after a lifetime of care and protection by his now elderly parents.

Philly is also the cousin of writer-director Ira Wohl which gave him unique access to his subject, and it shows in the relaxed way that Philly and his parents, Max and Pearl, interact with the camera, despite the cramped conditions at their apartment in Queens.
Philly's enthusiastic and affectionate and he helps out with chores around the home but he's able to do very little for himself and requires attention 24-7. Max is elderly and ailing so most of the burden falls to Pearl, who's no younger than her husband but in better health.
The portrait that Wohl paints of Pearl's devotion to Philly is for me the true heart of this film. Her unconditional love for the son she calls her 'best boy' is truly inspiring and moving. She's dedicated 50 years of her life to caring for Philly while also holding her family together through some tough times. Her eldest son died of cancer two years earlier and her husband no longer has the energy to indulge Philly.
Pearl's unwavering smile is my abiding memory of this film. It falters just slightly when she accompanies Philly to his new home in an assisted living apartment, but after half a century of spending every day with him that's hardly surprising. She deserves admiration not for making the best of a bad situation or any of those other patronising and demeaning cliches that get attached to the parents of handicapped children,  but for her apparently infinite capacity to love and support those nearest to her through everything that life has thrown at her. She lives her life with no regrets and no sense of having missed out on anything. Pearl is one of those rare human beings who makes the world a better place by being in it, and, perhaps selfishly, I wanted her to go on forever. The biggest sadness is that Philly will never be able appreciate how much his mother has done for him.
Ira Wohl's directorial style is simple and straightforward although I felt on at least a couple of occasions that he was manipulating his subjects to achieve the desired result. I'd be interested to learn whether he ever felt conflicted during the three year making of the film - was he able to separate being a concerned family member from his responsibilities as writer and director focused on capturing good material for his documentary?
Those concerns aside he's created a film that will linger in the memory, and I'm particularly grateful to Wohl for giving me the opportunity to get to know the wonderful Pearl and her beautiful, life-affirming smile.