From frame one, we giggle, as 92 year-old Eileen Hall screaming The Clash's 'Should I Stay or Should I Go?' with a grandmotherly British accent. But we aren't laughing at her. We laugh because we're surprised. Surprised by the grit and fire in the voices. Surprised by the vitality of Rock and Roll. Surprised because old age has never been so alive. The documentary follows the geriatric rockers as they prepare a new show for a new tour. And director Stephen Walker lucks out because there's nothing he could have done other than point his camera and shoot to make the film any stronger than it is. As a documentary, it's raw, unpolished footage. But for its lack of tact, it allows the strength of the chorus' personalities to come alive onscreen.
Every moment of laughter and tears is created by the choir (not the filmmaker) -- from Lenny Fontaine driving with the reckless abandon of a teenager with Eileen and Joe laughing in tow to Fred Knittle channeling Johnny Cash when singing a duet-turned-solo after the chorus loses a member. Walker goes beyond the rehearsal hall as the members of the chorus allow us to become a part of their daily lives. Along with the humor and hope, there's a shadow always looming. While the spirit of the chorus members is always willing, the rest of them doesn't always cooperate. Given the benevolent candor of the members, when one dies, it's not a character in a film that passes, but a person that let us follow him around to enjoy what he enjoys and experience what he goes through. You know that at the end, they aren't going to bound back onto the stage for the final curtain call.
To keep the pace brisk and the mood light, Walker cuts Young@Heart music videos into the story. The scenes of the chorus wheeling and dancing around a nursing home to The Ramones' 'I Wanna Be Sedated' help offset the sadness of watching Fred practice his song at home alone, without his duet partner. But the smiles and laughs are bigger than the tears. Though we are surprised by their youthful vitality, the chorus also strengthens the old adage that with age comes wisdom. While the chorus is obviously affected by the loss of members, they have a perception of death that is far more inspiring than fearful.
The spirit of Rock and Roll is embedded in Young@Heart, but that's not what we connect with. We connect with their passion and honesty -- two emotions that are rarely found in life, let alone cinema. Where popular documentaries present a reality filtered through a filmmaker, Young@Heart allows reality to play out as it happens. Young@Heart could show audiences that documentaries don't have to be stuffy, politically-driven creations, but rather can be touching stories of everyday people that are potentially more moving and enjoyable than any Hollywood blockbuster; if only audiences would step outside themselves and take a chance.
The DVD includes deleted scenes plus additional footage of the group's tour stop in Hollywood.
Aka Young at Heart.
They can't get no satisfaction.
