It would be easy to mock the idea with Young @ Heart: in Northampton, MA, a group of old people (I won't call them senior citizens, they're physically aged) are in a singing group led by a guy thirty years more or less their junior, and the twist is that they sing songs of the classic/hard rock vein, the kinds of songs that when they were first released were more than likely not their cups of tea. They sometimes forget the words, or whole beats or the rhythm, for weeks at a time (one in particular is a shaky bet for performing "I've Got You" from James Brown). Some of them are in ill-health, as is a sad-but-true part of their day to day lives as a possibility to them or their friends. And They end up traveling not just in America but Europe (once even to Norway royalty) to perform their concerts.
But after the first five minutes, this is no mocking American Idol type of affair. This is because there's no stupid reality show contest at the end, or any kind of real goal to be met as part of a fantasy. It's all about self-expression, and as a means to keep one wanting to live day to day. The people in the group have to deal with members of their group (two during just the running time of the film) dying off from their health conditions, and they wouldn't want it any other way than to commit to the old "the show must go on" creedo. What sets Young @ Heart apart from the pack is its understanding of what should be essential to a well-done story of people-getting-ready-for-a-concert story, which is real humor and tragedy with a conscience. There is no real ego with these performers, unlike so many in other movies; the mortal coil is only so far away to get self-absorbed.
So the director Stephen Walker gets us invested in the performers to the point of astonishment. It's not very technically polished- it was shot on video and transferred to film, and not high quality digital video either- but what it lacks in finesse it makes up for with humanism. We meet and care what happens to these folks, be they the 92 year old Eileen Hall who flirts with director Walker, or the talented Joe Benoit who's been through multiple rounds of chemo, or Fred Knittle who is on oxygen support but still wants to perform one last time at the concert, or Lenny who is the only one who can drive other members. Aside from moments that are by hook or crook amusing (if only in moments that are too sweet to be exploitive), or with those nutty music video renditions of songs like "Golden Years", we see the process of the rehearsals, the concerts (one of which, the same day they learn of one member's passing on, at a prison), the pressure of learning complex numbers from the likes of Sonic Youth.
It all builds to such an emotional beat that never falters because the director looks on through the initial oddball appeal of the group and directs his attention at how fragile life is itself. Just knowing that some may have passed on since the film was finished (in fact one of them, the 92 year old, did die before the film was released in the US) is saddening, but somehow the experience of Young @ Heart is overall hopeful. If one can just sing, to put in the discipline and physical and mental work needed to memorize and perform rock and roll songs, then maybe there's some purpose left in those last years. For those who love a story meant to uplift the soul, it's a must-see, if not perfect as a documentary. 9.5/10
But after the first five minutes, this is no mocking American Idol type of affair. This is because there's no stupid reality show contest at the end, or any kind of real goal to be met as part of a fantasy. It's all about self-expression, and as a means to keep one wanting to live day to day. The people in the group have to deal with members of their group (two during just the running time of the film) dying off from their health conditions, and they wouldn't want it any other way than to commit to the old "the show must go on" creedo. What sets Young @ Heart apart from the pack is its understanding of what should be essential to a well-done story of people-getting-ready-for-a-concert story, which is real humor and tragedy with a conscience. There is no real ego with these performers, unlike so many in other movies; the mortal coil is only so far away to get self-absorbed.
So the director Stephen Walker gets us invested in the performers to the point of astonishment. It's not very technically polished- it was shot on video and transferred to film, and not high quality digital video either- but what it lacks in finesse it makes up for with humanism. We meet and care what happens to these folks, be they the 92 year old Eileen Hall who flirts with director Walker, or the talented Joe Benoit who's been through multiple rounds of chemo, or Fred Knittle who is on oxygen support but still wants to perform one last time at the concert, or Lenny who is the only one who can drive other members. Aside from moments that are by hook or crook amusing (if only in moments that are too sweet to be exploitive), or with those nutty music video renditions of songs like "Golden Years", we see the process of the rehearsals, the concerts (one of which, the same day they learn of one member's passing on, at a prison), the pressure of learning complex numbers from the likes of Sonic Youth.
It all builds to such an emotional beat that never falters because the director looks on through the initial oddball appeal of the group and directs his attention at how fragile life is itself. Just knowing that some may have passed on since the film was finished (in fact one of them, the 92 year old, did die before the film was released in the US) is saddening, but somehow the experience of Young @ Heart is overall hopeful. If one can just sing, to put in the discipline and physical and mental work needed to memorize and perform rock and roll songs, then maybe there's some purpose left in those last years. For those who love a story meant to uplift the soul, it's a must-see, if not perfect as a documentary. 9.5/10