Watch the short documentary film My Father's Photos.
Charles Burnett, Jr. struggled with Parkinson's disease for over 40 years, one of the longest cases on record. Confined to a wheelchair and with no speech communication, he was kept in good health far beyond doctors' expectations by the dedicated nursing care of his wife, Miriam. After his death in 2006, Miriam discovered boxes of photographs and numerous reels of film that Charles had taken before this disease became debilitating. Nearly 5,000 photos were painstakingly restored and scanned to reveal an exceptional record of his decline and resiliency in facing this disease.
My Father's Photos draws exclusively from his library of images to imagine how Charles may have replayed them in his mind throughout the final years of his life. Charles' son provides a poignant narration that recalls his father's struggle with Parkinson's, and how the extraordinary bond his parents shared managed to transcend the paralysis and depression of this disease.