JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
If you know me or my reporting, you know I'm continually interested in stories about caregiving, especially the unpaid kind that's done by family members. So many of us do this work - about 63 million Americans last year, according to AARP - and yet it's often invisible. A new movie called "Take Me Home" shows the beautiful moments and the struggles. At its heart is Anna. She's 38 years old with a cognitive disability, and she's being cared for by her aging parents.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "TAKE ME HOME")
ANNA SARGENT: (As Anna) I think you put a lot of shampoo.
MARCELINE HUGOT: (As Joan) Got to. You have a lot of hair.
A SARGENT: (As Anna) What are we going to do today, Bob?
HUGOT: (As Joan) We're doing it.
A SARGENT: (As Anna) Oh.
SUMMERS: And at the same time, Anna is also a caregiver for them.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "TAKE ME HOME")
HUGOT: (As Joan) What are you doing, Anna?
A SARGENT: (As Anna) I'm feeling your forehead.
HUGOT: (As Joan) Huh?
A SARGENT: (As Anna) I'm feeling your forehead.
HUGOT: (As Joan) I'm fine, sweetheart.
A SARGENT: (As Anna) You're hot, Mom.
HUGOT: (As Joan) I am?
A SARGENT: (As Anna) Yeah.
SUMMERS: Anna Sargent plays Anna in the movie, and her sister, Liz Sargent, wrote and directed "Take Me Home." It is deeply connected to their own story, and Liz knew that only Anna could play Anna. So they built the production around her. Here are Liz and Anna talking with me about working with Anna's acting coach Terra Mackintosh.
A SARGENT: She's the best.
SUMMERS: What did she do with you?
A SARGENT: Just hanging out with me.
LIZ SARGENT: Remember you read the whole script with her?
A SARGENT: Yeah.
L SARGENT: And then when we did the script, we started with the script, and Terra and I would yell out the lines to you?
A SARGENT: Mm-hmm.
L SARGENT: And you would repeat them.
A SARGENT: Mm hmm.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TERRA MACKINTOSH: You're the worst dad.
A SARGENT: (As Anna) You're the worst dad ever.
MACKINTOSH: And I hate you.
A SARGENT: (As Anna) And I hate you.
Sorry.
MACKINTOSH: That was so good. That was so good (laughter).
A SARGENT: Gosh.
L SARGENT: But then we would stop telling you what to say, and you would say whatever you wanted.
A SARGENT: Yeah.
L SARGENT: And that's when, I think, you were the best ever.
A SARGENT: I know.
L SARGENT: Yeah.
SUMMERS: Liz, this one's for you. There is a scene in the movie where Anna and Emily are at the grocery store, and Anna really wants some popsicles. Emily says no, and ultimately, a lot happens, but Anna and Emily end up eating popsicles together. And it's this really beautiful moment of fun and connection after what was a really challenging argument. It was just a beautiful sibling moment.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "TAKE ME HOME")
ALI AHN: (As Emily) Picked some good popsicles, Anna.
A SARGENT: (As Anna) Oh, my God.
AHN: (As Emily) Wow. We got to wave to the people on the boat. Hi.
SUMMERS: What inspired that scene?
L SARGENT: I mean, I think in the movie, we needed some kind of relief, and we needed to see where that, like, love and that bond remained from their childhood.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "TAKE ME HOME")
AHN: (As Emily) Don't tell Dad I said this, but he loves you the most. So he likes to keep you around.
A SARGENT: (As Anna) I love you most. I want to keep you around.
L SARGENT: And I think that moment where Anna takes control of her life and Emily realizes that she's just been, like, overpowering her in a way sort of softens them to their childhood.
SUMMERS: What did the two of you learn about each other in the process of making this film that maybe you didn't already know?
A SARGENT: I really don't know (laughter).
L SARGENT: Did you enjoy working with me?
A SARGENT: Yes.
L SARGENT: Yeah? Was it fun to hear me tell you what to do every day, all day?
A SARGENT: Yes.
L SARGENT: Really? You didn't get annoyed having your sister tell you what to do all day?
A SARGENT: Yeah.
L SARGENT: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SUMMERS: Anna, was...
A SARGENT: Yeah?
SUMMERS: ...Liz bossy?
A SARGENT: Let me see. Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
L SARGENT: Why don't you ask me if Anna was bossy?
SUMMERS: Was Anna bossy?
A SARGENT: Yeah (laughter).
L SARGENT: You know what I learned about Anna, though? I mean, right now, she is just glowing and she's become so confident after really being on a set where the whole crew looked to her, you know, and she knew she was in charge. And she's got this great humor, and she's just sort of a ham. You know, going on the festival circuit? I mean, look at her now. What?
A SARGENT: Thanks, Liz.
L SARGENT: You don't like that?
A SARGENT: No.
L SARGENT: You're a comedian.
A SARGENT: I know, but...
L SARGENT: You make everybody laugh.
A SARGENT: I know.
L SARGENT: But, I mean, we made adjustments to the way that we were working, but it was really just to remove the barriers so that she could do the work, you know? And she shows such a dynamic range of being a human being through a hard time. And I'm just so proud and know she can do anything.
SUMMERS: Anna, you two aren't the only sisters. I know that you have a big family. Did they see the movie?
A SARGENT: Yeah, my mom and dad saw the movie.
L SARGENT: And our mom came out of long-term care...
A SARGENT: Yeah.
L SARGENT: ...To come see the film with a community. And it was incredible to see them witness, you know, a piece of our life that has been a really hard time and to share that with others who are experiencing the same thing.
SUMMERS: Liz, if I can ask, what was their reaction to seeing all of that play out?
L SARGENT: I think it's overwhelming for them. You know, this film, three months before we filmed it in my parents' house, both of my parents...
A SARGENT: Our house.
L SARGENT: Our house, thank you (laughter). Three months before we filmed this in our parents' house, both of our parents were in the ER and almost died about, you know, a hundred times over. I was fighting HMO Medicare in Florida, and Anna was by my side. And I was really, you know, living a very meta experience. And it's really a time capsule of this moment that happened. And so I think it was very overwhelming for them to see this piece of their life. But it means so much to me to have preserved this moment and to just, like, really, love this moment that so many people, I think, are afraid to talk about.
A SARGENT: You OK?
L SARGENT: I'm OK. Thanks, Anna.
SUMMERS: Anna, I've been listening to the way that you talk to Liz. Do you take care of her, too?
A SARGENT: Yes.
SUMMERS: I could hear you asking her earlier if she was OK or if she was feeling good. It seems like you do take care of her.
A SARGENT: Yeah.
L SARGENT: I'm feeling very sick today. I'm afraid it's from a lot of stress from, you know, everything in life and this film. You know, there's that statistic that it's - caregivers often have worse health problems than the people they're caregiving for, you know, and they put off taking care of themselves. And I feel in that position right now, to be honest. But Anna today was checking in on me. She was offering me tea. She gave me a neck rub. She is just such an incredible empathetic person. And I truly...
A SARGENT: Thanks, Liz.
L SARGENT: You are.
A SARGENT: I know.
SUMMERS: It sounds like you're both really, really lucky to have each other.
A SARGENT: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
SUMMERS: Anna and Liz Sargent. Their movie is "Take Me Home," and it's in theaters now. It's been so great getting to talk with you.
A SARGENT: Booyah.
L SARGENT: Thank you, Juana. This has been really special.
A SARGENT: (Laughter).
(SOUNDBITE OF DAFT PUNK SONG, "SOMETHING ABOUT US") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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