Isla's Way

Cowboy. Rebel. Survivor. Grandmother. You’ll never forget meeting Isla.

• Documentary

Formidable grandmother Isla Roberts is adamant. She insists that although she’s not a lesbian, her girlfriend Susan is. In this tender, richly humorous portrait of an 87-year-old horse carriage driving champion, we learn what makes an ordinary life extraordinary. Straight-shooting Isla’s lived experience of rural Australia, raising a family in severe economic hardship, and finally coming out later in life, all make for a poignant documentary of a woman who’s well ahead of her time and refuses to be put in a box. Director Marion Pilowsky tracks Isla for an eventful, cathartic year with empathy and incisiveness.