This movie starts a little slow, but the pace accelerates and it ends with exhilaration. It is about the aging of people who have a purpose in their life; maintaining their vitality and ability to compete in sports. Although it is a documentary, it nevertheless has a half dozen people who are the leads. None are professional actors, but the film crew followed them for up to 4 years while filming them in their homes. Thus, the film is about that handful of people. It is about their life, their loves, their hopes and their past. The film ends at the completion of the World Masters Championships in Finland in 2009 in Finland. And with all competitions, there have to be winners and losers in the competition. But there were no losers in how they took the results.
Plot summary
The film follows five senior athletes along their biggest challenge - maturity. As all of them are between 80 and 100 years old it is a race against time and personal degeneration. Nevertheless they are united in one common goal - to take part in the track and field World Masters Championships. Life will end soon - so what?
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
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A great documentary about the joys of aging
Almost entirely unbelievable, but completely true
Documentaries are always dangerous. Do they stick to the truth or do they end up being fiction with a very tiny kernel of truth at the middle? Both can work out and I must admit when I started watching this one that I was thinking I was looking at one of the latter sort. Great was my surprise when it turned out one of the former kind instead.
This one basically follows the lives of a number of senior citizens as they are getting ready to compete in a sports event for the elderly. And we're not talking age group 50-60 here. No, we're talking 70+, even 100+. Of course one can't expect them to run huge distances or pole vault or even jump all too high - but they do do high jumps, discus throwing, running short track. It's amazing to see - their reasons for being how they are, the way they work to their goal and the actual event.
It's somewhat of an eye opener - to see the lack of activity in youth (myself not excluded) in contrast to the activity in them - the people where you'd really least expect it. It's a warm film, loving and captivating. A very interesting watch.
8 out of 10 creaky joints