About the film
Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement is a 2009 American documentary directed and produced by Susan Muska and Gréta Ólafsdóttir. Made through Bless Bless Productions in association with Sundance Channel, the 61-minute English-language film follows the long relationship between Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer. It covers their childhoods, their meeting in 1963, their lives and careers in New York City, and Thea’s diagnosis with multiple sclerosis.
The documentary also shows Edie caring for her partner and follows their wedding in Toronto in May 2007. They married there because same-sex marriage was not legal in their home state of New York at that time. Classified as both a documentary film and an LGBTQ-related film, the entry focuses on personal history, partnership, illness, care and marriage.
Susan Muska and Gréta Ólafsdóttir are listed as both directors and producers.
Who it is for
This suits viewers interested in LGBTQ history, long-term relationships, caregiving and the lives of Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer. It can also support study of New York and same-sex marriage history.
Worth knowing
- Follows Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer’s relationship
- Covers their meeting in 1963
- Includes Thea’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis
- Documents their 2007 Toronto wedding
- Runtime is 61 minutes
Before you press play
- Released in 2009
- Covers a relationship shaped by illness and legal limits
The short of it
Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement offers an intimate account of a decades-long partnership and the circumstances surrounding its wedding. Its personal story also places caregiving and marriage within a specific legal history.