POV's Documentary Blog

Next on POV: Tea Time

“A bite-size confection whose surface sweetness hides hints of more complex flavors, ‘Tea Time’ is…intriguing… will strike a particular chord with more mature audiences.”— Neil Young, The Hollywood Reporter

Tea Time premieres Monday, July 27, 2015, at 10 PM on PBS stations.

Can we talk? The answer has been a resounding “yes” for a group of five Chilean women who have gathered once a month for the past 60 years to speak their minds—and reveal the current state of their hearts and souls.

In an abiding ritual of friendship and survival, these now-elderly Santiago women have come together for tea and pastries — and talk — during an era of intense social and personal change. Director Maite Alberdi, granddaughter of one of the group members, captures their intimate, charming and poignant gatherings in Tea Time.

Tea Time takes us through a rite of friendship and shows the importance of traditions and celebrations and how rituals can help life make sense,” says director Maite Alberdi, “Tea Time allows us to enter a female private space. Around the table, intimate and universal themes intersect and are analyzed from the particular perspective of elderly women who look at the world through the lens of their conservative backgrounds, and who have been forced to adapt.”

Visit the POV companion site for Tea Time to watch the full film online for free for a limited time following the broadcast (starting July 28, 2015), find out what’s happened since the cameras stopped rolling, and download a discussion guide and other viewing resources. Share your thoughts and ask questions by using the hashtag #TeaTime.

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