Elizabeth Chomko on her Bittersweet & Beautiful Directorial Debut What They Had

Writer and first-time director Elizabeth Chomko’s What They Had is a searingly personal film that still manages to make you laugh (a lot, actually) through your tears. The story centers on the irrevocable slide into dementia of Ruth (Blythe Danner) and her family’s attempts—conflicted, confused, and often at odds with one another—to figure out the best way to handle it.

The film opens with Ruth wandering, as if in a daydream, into a snowstorm at night with nothing but her nightgown and a coat,...

Sadness and Laughter Punctuate Emotional What They Had Trailer

Writer and director Elizabeth Chomko’s new family drama What They Had has been buzzing ever since its official premiere at Sundance in January. Today is a double treat as the film was chosen as an official TIFF selection and we get our first look at the trailer. If you love a heart-wrenching drama like me, this clip will bring you to tears and remind you to call your mom. Heartbreaking yet appropriately funny, Hilary Swank puts on a serious face as she and her family struggle to deal with her mother’s (Blythe Danner) Alzheimer’s...