AllMovie

An entire century flashes before the eyes of filmmaker Alex Halpern's centenarian grandmother in a standout documentary filmed to trace the remarkable life of Brooklyn-born, Sicilian-American matriarch Mary Mirabito Livornese Cavaliere (aka "Nana"). When Cavaliere was but a mere child, a gypsy once prophesized that she would live to be ninety-six years-old. Now, with that landmark birthday rapidly approaching, Cavaliere's grandson Halpern assembles a whirlwind look at a life that has included everything from late night visits from Jack Kerouac to heartbreaking love-affairs and mysterious murders - all told through the vivid recollections of the very woman who lived to experience them. .