Sunny days fill golden years
Unapologetically sunny, the documentary “Lives Well Lived” gathers dozens of senior citizens for their insights into how to enjoy a long, happy life. The truth is, there are few insights here, but these folks are so endearing that it keeps the film humming along.
Director Sky Bergman introduces us to her grandmother, Evelyn, who is approaching 100 as the film opens, and then springboards into interviews with people like Louie, who at 92 still gets up at the crack of dawn to make mozzarella; Rose, who at 80 is finishing up her Ph.D. at the University of Southern California; and Emmy,
who at 86 is a yoga instructor.
It’s clear that most of the subjects have had comfortable, affluent lives in their later years — which never hurts — but even those who lived through the eras of Nazism, Stalinism and Japanese internment have forged a positive attitude. Most of it comes down to good health, a trait that everyone here seems to share.
Bergman is not particularly imaginative in her storytelling: She poses a series of questions to her subjects, and they jovially answer them. But Bergman keeps things engaging and knows how to pace her film, supplementing it with interesting archival footage, photos and home movies.
One would almost have to be a curmudgeon not to like “Lives,” even if the cynic in us sometimes thinks the film makes aging seem like a breeze. And though there is not a lot of new wisdom imparted, there is value in hearing a lot of practical advice in one place.