Size doesn’t matter according to nonagenarian Dr. Ruth Westheimer, a pioneer in the field of sex therapy. And, standing at just under five feet tall, Dr. Ruth remains a force —continuing to promise the best sex you’ve ever had if you listen to her.
The Gold Coast International Film Festival will present “Ask Dr. Ruth,” a film by Ryan White that captures Dr. Ruth’s exuberant and witty personality as she goes from speaking engagements to television and radio appearances. “Ask Dr. Ruth” will be screened on Wednesday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Great Neck Squire Cinemas, 115 Middle Neck Road in Great Neck. Following the screening will be a live conversation with Dr. Ruth that is sure to be lively and informative.
Tickets to the film and post-screening conversation are $25 per person. A VIP event, subject to availability, is priced at $50 per person and includes a private reception with Dr. Ruth at 6 p.m. at Rothchilds Coffee and Kitchen in Great Neck, a photograph with Dr. Ruth, and the chance to have her autograph her new book, “Roller-coaster Grandma: The Amazing Story of Dr. Ruth.” Cost of the VIP ticket also includes reserved seating at the film and the post-event Q&A session.
Tickets can be purchased online at bit.ly/2HZvOne. For more information, visit www.goldcoastarts.org/gold-coast-cinema-series or call 516-829-2570.
Proceeds from this event help fund the Gold Coast International Film Festival’s year-round programming, including Youth Film Day and Young Filmmakers Program, free programs that help inspire and mentor aspiring filmmakers in grades K through 12.
A household name in the 1980s and ‘90s, Dr. Westheimer’s infectious energy is colored with an openness that is joyous and nonjudgmental, and the affable rapport between filmmaker White and the diminutive sex therapist is a welcome source of laughter.
Alongside her optimism, however, are storybook-like animations that bring Dr. Ruth’s childhood as an orphan of the Holocaust to life. The tragic loss of being separated from her parents and never seeing them again shaped how she would embrace the world. The film is an inspiring and entertaining portrait of a trailblazer that reveals the darkness Dr. Ruth emerged from to bring light to so many people.
