- Writer
- Heddy Honigmann
- Director
- Heddy Honigmann
- Rating
- n/a
- Running Time
- 93 minutes
- Release Date
- April 5th, 2022
Overall Score
Rating Summary
100Up is a documentary that interviews several centenarians and what motivates them to live their lives to their fullest. They provide a ranging array of tales about their current adventures, with a remarkably upbeat attitude and refusal to be weighed down by their old age. Each of them have a different story to tell depending on their different circumstances.
Learning more about drummer Viola Smith and her family upbringing was a fascinating exhibit in its own right. Viewers will surely find themselves wanting to learn as much about her as possible, whether it be how her father wanted her and all her siblings to be an orchestra of sorts, how she started playing the piano as her first instrument, but then moved to the drums. It’s a solid introduction into the goals of each of these individuals as they reminisce about what they want to do next on the adventure that is life. Above all else, there is no fear of dying. Smith saw the drumming as exercise, and she attributes it to her longevity.
Meanwhile, others also talk about the lack of sexual desire in modern adults, leading to questions of how important sex is to people in life, as well as what it means to live. Likewise, there is a brief touch on how the older generation and the newer generation view each other.
Given the current times, with news that we are inching towards doom, a film like this can be like serotonin. In one moment, two of the elderly women argue over what should be reminisced over: the past or the present. One argues that we should leave the past behind and look to the future, think about their grandchildren, and things like that, while the other prefers to bring up fond memories of the past like vacations they used to go on. All while having what seems like a wonderful lunch in a pleasant apartment.
Learning about another woman’s upbringing in Germany, right around Hitler’s rise, was also fascinating, particularly as viewers get to learn more about her passion for listening to opera, and her time in Vienna.
The film also depicts a lot of the main struggles these elderly citizens face, when they realize they’re not able to do certain things they once were able to do. And reflecting on their past does bring back a lot of sad memories, such as visiting a graveyard for a specific person. It’s a reminder to cherish everything we have before it’s gone, and it’s an incredibly timely message. One could accuse this documentary of being overly sentimental with its score, but it fits just fine with the tone of the film, as it looks to past memories to unlock the present while we still have it.
In the end, 100Up is a touching portrait of the will to live as well as an ode to contentment with the lives that we lead. It’s warm and fuzzy and fascinating on many counts.
still courtesy of Amstelfilm
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