directed by:
James Hyams written by: Jeremy Rigby, James Hyams genre: Doc |
This was a fun little biography. And for those immediately curious, yes it is quite inspiring. Essentially, this is a mini bio on living life to the fullest and never... ever... letting someone say you can't do something. We've all heard the jokes. You know the ones right? Where the senior becomes the brunt? Countless forms and punchlines. Hell, people have even capitalized on societies view of every older person. Business has counted on, rather relied on slogans such as "I've fallen and can't get up" or even the heyday of the Clapper - for those who remember. Although usually harmless, they have pushed forward the notion that old age equals uselessness.
Let me tell you something. The focus of this story, John Rigby, would disagree. Perhaps even clock you one - for good measure. And he my friends, is in his nineties. A direct opposite of the cliche old timer, John is not only active... but also competes. He keeps himself as physically fit as possible but that's not all - he also refuses to let his mind go soft. I'm not going to spoil every detail of this quick short film. I'd rather let you, the viewer, watch and discover who John is on your own. But I will say that although John may be one of the exceptions, even exceptional in nature, the point of this story remains the same. You don't have to grow old and give up. He may be in his nineties but the truth is, being active in your fifties, sixties and seventies should be the norm. All it takes is self care and motivation. If nothing else, John proves that. You can't stop the aging process... but you can stop the cliche perception. "Powering On" got me thinking. What percentage of peoples harmless jokes about old age - come from fear? This isn't really something discussed in the film, but it came to mind as a direct result. Jeremy Rigby and James Hyams, who wrote this piece, have put it all together in such a way... that my question felt totally natural and justified. We all fear old age because we know it's something we all have to face. Is it ridiculous to think this fear contributes to the jokes? I think not - and this is one of the reasons this film shows itself so well. It proves we don't have to become bed-ridden and senile. Unless stricken by a horrendous condition, all we really have to do is keep at it and keep going. Even then, John Rigby himself also proves that getting sick doesn't mean it's all over. There really is a lot of inspiration here. In such a short time.
For me, this short film did just what it said it would. It inspired - and even maybe motivated. The feeling you get when you see Mr Rigby running or at the gym... and realize that you, yourself don't even do that... is an awesomely powerful image. My only real complaint about this film? It truly is short. A little more length would have been perfect. Even if just a few minutes. One thing is for certain however, after watching this... there's really no more excuses for me to get out more. |
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