'So Late So Soon' Trailer: The Life Of Two Elderly Chicago Outsiders Artists Explored

What makes a marriage endure? “So Late So Soon” chronicles the decades-long relationship between Don and Jackie Seiden. The documentary explores the artists’ works while delving into the unique aspects of their union. Everything plays out in a Chicago residence as interesting as the occupants, which they call home. As the building succumbs to its own flaws, so does the couple coming to terms with fragility in all forms.

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Director Daniel Hymanson’s personal connection to the duo shapes the documentary. His relationship with the pair started at a young age — Jackie Seiden teaching both Hymanson and his sister art. Experience with the teacher and artist continued through family lunches as well as small musical performances. During these moments, Hymanson also got to know her husband, Don. The Seidans quickly became an inspiration while the budding creative nurtured his own perspectives.

Archival footage along with more recent entries expose a complicated story, one Hymanson keenly inspects. The process of making ‘Soon’ strengthened the filmmaker’s relationship with the pair. “Even though I had known them for so long, I got much closer to Jackie and Don through filming with them, and gradually we all became important parts of each other’s lives,” Hymanson said of the project. “Given the amount of time I shot for and the close relationship between us that developed, I think I was bound to capture those details of intimacy. I also shot without a very long lens, so we were forced to be physically close in the smaller spaces of their house.” 

The film’s official synopsis:

Half a century into their marriage, Chicago artists Jackie and Don Seiden approach the fragility of their elderly lives in their own distinct ways. Jackie, notorious for her unbounded energy, is constantly on the move, inspired to create works of art while also maintaining the couple’s multistory, brightly-painted Victorian house. Don steadily sketches in his notebook while facing alarming interruptions to his health. Director Daniel Hymanson filmed the Seidens, on-and-off for five years, capturing the hardships of aging as well as a view into enduring companionship in this charming, life-affirming character study.

A couple’s story of love and art is central to “So Late So Soon.” The documentary debuted at the 2020 True/False Film Festival and is scheduled for a late November release. Watch the film’s trailer below.