Overview

Attachments of Life is a documentary about how our belongings alter our lives. The film follows five Albertans with distinctive relationships with their possessions: a collector of classic cars, a senior with hoarding disorder, minimalists living in a tiny house and a woman who has lost her possessions.

Materialism is a driving force in our culture and right now our connection to our belongings is in the zeitgeist. Whether it be baby boomers downsizing, people cleaning out their houses Marie Kondo style or those who are a victim of fires and floods, many people are asking themselves what their material possessions mean to them. 

For some, the only way to deal with their possessions is to purge and become a minimalist. For others, collecting gives them great pleasure and connects them with people who are also coveting these items. 

For the people who live with hoarding disorder, their possessions may be putting their mental and physical safety at risk. 

There are others who have lost everything they own in tragedies like a fire or a flood.

This documentary shows how people are navigating their relationship with all their belongings.

If you are interested in having a screening of Attachments of Life please contact Brandy Yanchyk.

The documentary Attachments of Life is available in Canada to stream on CBC GEM here.

If you live outside of Canada you can rent or buy the film here on #Vimeo On Demand: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/attachmentsoflife

The film will air on CBC TV across Canada on Saturday, November 28th on CBCTV at 1pm EST.

“Attachments of Life” also aired on CBC TV in Alberta and British Columbia on October 31, 2020 at 7:00PM.

Characters

Howard Lengert is 77-years-old and is an avid collector. He has, to date, eighteen Rolls-Royces and three Bentley cars. He has been collecting and fixing them up since he bought his first Rolls-Royce in 1967. Howard says collecting and working on these vehicles brings him so much happiness and camaraderie with the two men he fixes them up with. Howard will be donating his collection and launching a Rolls-Royce Museum at the local Leduc West Antique Society Heritage Museum.

Peggy Zubyk is a 67-year-old woman living in Edmonton who struggles with hoarding disorder. Peggy has mobility issues which have impeded her ability to clean and clear out things in her home. Peggy recently had spine surgery and now can hold her head up straight, though she still uses a walker. She has been working with front line worker Tracey Fraser to help organize and clean up her house, a service that—to date—has cost Peggy $8000 out of her retirement savings.

Marni and Kevin McConnach are both 29-year-old yoga teachers. They are married and live in a tiny house in Cochrane, Alberta. They built the house after getting rid of most of their belongings to go traveling. They felt so happy living a minimalist lifestyle while backpacking that they wanted to replicate the experience when they returned to Alberta. Their solution was to build a tiny home on wheels and park it on Marni’s mother’s property. Marni says it’s a constant minimizing process when you live small and they have enjoyed living this way for three years.

Lesa Marshall is a 40-year-old woman from Edmonton. While renting in three separate places, Lesa lost most of her belongings in two fires and one flood. Lesa feels she has suffered PTSD from these experiences of loss and has had counselling and now looks at her possessions differently. When Lesa went through her destroyed belongings, she said she found burnt clothes that still had the price tags on them. Now she doesn’t buy things she won’t use right away. Lesa was also able to buy a condo with the money the insurance company paid her for her losses.

Supporting Characters

Terri Bailey is a Mental Health Therapist in Edmonton who specializes in helping people with hoarding disorder. She works primarily with people who struggle with extreme clutter and hoarding behaviours.

Tracey Fraser is from Edmonton and owns Helping Hands Personal Assistants. Tracey specializes in supporting seniors with hoarding behaviours and those with bed bugs. She is a personal assistant who helps seniors to declutter their homes and reclaim their lives. Some of her clients are at risk of being evicted because of their hoarding.

YEAR:
2020

Format:
4K and HD

BroadcasterS:
CANADIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Duration:
1 x 44 min

Genre:
Social

Production Photos