Used and Borrowed Time

"Used and Borrowed Time," written and directed by Sophia Romma, is a non-conformist psychological thriller set in Birmingham, Alabama, both today and in the turbulent 1960's. A blind, elderly Jewish woman recalls her ill-fated love affair with a Black civil rights activist during the civil rights upheaval of the Sixties. She is phantasmagorically transported to her past, reliving the tyranny unleashed upon her and her young African American lover by a merciless white supremacist family.

The film has a myriad of theatrical touches, notably its dialogue, which is partly written in Quantum Verse. This is a style that runs through Ms. Romma's stage works. It derives from the question, "How real is the universe?" and the notion that it may contain parallel dialogues, a simple one and a metaphysical one.

Set against the backdrop of one of America's most turbulent periods, this powerful narrative explores themes of forbidden love, racial injustice, and the enduring power of memory. Through the lens of the blind actress's recollections, we witness the brutal reality of segregation and the courage of those who dared to love across racial boundaries.

The film's unique approach to storytelling, blending psychological thriller elements with theatrical techniques and metaphysical dialogue, creates an immersive experience that challenges viewers to question the nature of reality and the power of love to transcend even the most oppressive circumstances.