Twenty years ago, documentary filmmaker Doug Block began filming weddings as a way of making a little extra money. Alongside his acclaimed films, such as 51 Birch Street and The Kids Grow Up, Block built another oeuvre—an immense collection of ceremonies. Camera in hand, he was there, embedded in a central moment of other people’s lives, and it was hard not to feel a lingering closeness to the people who had trusted him to be a part of their big day. What had become of these brides and grooms? Was marriage all that they dreamed it would be? Juxtaposing wedding footage with contemporary interviews, Block revisits nine couples to find out how their lives and partnerships have evolved. In their candid assessments of matrimony, both humorous and heartbreaking, they describe becoming parents, facing illness, finding compromise, and for some, accepting divorce. As we flip back through this moving album, we also meet Heather and Sam, a young couple approaching their wedding day, Block’s one hundred and twelfth, over the course of the film. Joyous and emotional—a rollercoaster ride not unlike a wedding itself—this poignant film explores the undertaking of getting, and staying, married.  ST

Moderated conversation following screening with filmmaker Doug Block and special guests