In 1995 a 28-year-old Chris Furbee suddenly found himself the primary caregiver for his mother, who was dying of Huntington’s disease. She was in denial of her condition, disdainful of his help, and mourning the loss of her independence. Chris turned to his video camera for solace, chronicling his own anger, love, and frustration with this emaciated stranger who used to be his vibrant mother.
Huntington’s Chorea is a brutal and unforgiving hereditary disease that slowly destroys the nervous system and mind of its victims. The diagnosis is always fatal. If one parent has the disease, their children have a 50% chance of also having it.
For 18 years, Chris continued to document his own journey from overwhelmed son, to angry victim, to energized activist. HUNTINGTON’S DANCE provides an intimate, raw, unsettling, and touching look at his family’s struggle to come to terms with a debilitating disease that threatens to ravage them all and how he, ultimately, chooses to move forward with hope for the future.
HUNTINGTON’S DANCE is directed by Chris Furbee. Producers are Chris Furbee, Herbert Bennett, Debra Sugerman, and Otis Bess. Herbert Bennett wrote and edited the film, while Otis Bess was Director of Photography. Original music is by Mike Furbee, Simon Kendall, and Gene Furbee.
HUNTINGTON’S DANCE will have its World Premiere in Documentary Competition at the 2014 Slamdance Film Festival.