Exploring how the elderly deal with the world of modern dating resonated with me from the beginning. I found the notion of a person needing to emotionally rebuild their younger self quite impactful.

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It's as if you are suddenly forced to rediscover your distant inner child, and all the things that came so easily years before. That's what I love about the film - while it's technically a film about the elderly, it's actually all about the inner child. As I was 20 at the time of directing Deighties, this was the universal theme I used as my pathway to empathy. I never wanted to depict the 'oldness' of the characters, and all the connotations that go along with that. Instead, I wanted people to relate to Phil's youthful heart, and the entire life of memories he had before his current age.

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I think Phil and Davilia (the documentary subjects) knew we were making something with positive, heartfelt intention - so that allowed us to have a degree of comfort and trust during the shoot. We built a relationship. I talked to Phil as if he were my grandfather and he talked to me as if I were his grandson, so he was willing to voice his hopes and insecurities, for which I am very thankful.

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I made sure to keep our presence as filmmakers as unobtrusive as possible, both on the shoot and in the finished product. We positioned the camera in a way to help tell Phil's story, but wouldn't step in the way of the life happening in front of us. Once Phil and Davilia had developed a connection, we followed them along some beautifully human tangents of conversation. My favourite thing is the connections that could never have been planned for—they're so spontaneous and real. I certainly would not have guessed that a couple in their eighties would find a shared love of tango!