Living Life

Living Life is a terrific movie. Hearty congratulations to Jesse. My wife was observed to get her handkerchief out, a rarity, and I was pleased to produce considerable optical flow, since my ophthalmologist says I have "dry eyes" and should use artificial tears. Jesse brought together a number of plot items that we could react to. One of our granddaughters did a 4 week theater internship far from her Northern California home, but I don't know how this affected her romantic life, since she has professed no attachments. As older adults, we were interested to listen to the dialog among the high school students. My wife commented that the girlfriend in this movie "talks just like Megan" and wondered if training in theater does that. I suspected rather that many intelligent high-schoolers react negatively to the silliness that some classmates show, and speak in a very direct way as a consequence. The tension between the father and grandfather was a very interesting sub-plot because we have an adopted son who totally avoided us for years, but now has become reconciled. Life seems to be like that, but we really were amazed, both by the creative photography and by the maturity of direction, with many exchanges of feeling portrayed without words. I'll recommend to my kids and grandkids that they see this movie.

I am a huge drama freak, and I expect a lot from the films I see. That's why when I went to see a film made by someone from Seattle, I was a bit worried. Let's face it, we are not known here for our artists or our films. I don't think a hit was ever fully produced here without the generous help from LA, and there aren't even many of those. This aside I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty and tight structure of Living Life. Its story line was poignant, it characters well developed and its emotion strong and stirring. I was moved to tears on more than one occasion. The technical side of the movie was first rate. The shots were long and beautiful, the music fantastic, and the location/set design first rate. When I think about the fact that a 17 year old wrote the film and the SOLD IT, I am floored. What an amazing phenomenon.

Highly recommended!

My applauds to a young and very talented director. "Living Life" will touch your heart and bring tears to your eyes but also leave you with a warm feeling at the end. It's brilliant cinematography, moving score and well designed locations only add to the story and help create the right mood. In dealing with such a serious subject as cancer it's possible to create a feeling of depression and hopelessness but such is not the case here. As we follow seventeen year-old Jason through his dealing with this disease we feel his pain and confusion and relate to the decisions he makes, both good and bad in relating to his family and friends. We see how he uses the short time he feels he has left to make a difference in the lives of those around him. Like any work of art there is always room to improve on it, but Mr. Harris had done an outstanding job in the handling of this subject and has created a very sensitive and heartwarming film which will leave you wanting to make a difference in the world with your own life.

I had the privilege of seeing the first version of this film at Ballard High School last year and now the final version at the Metro this week. The film has been re-edited, shortened (to 88 minutes), and completely re-scored and is a very enjoyable experience. Keep an eye out for the name, "Jesse Harris". He will be up there with the great directors of our time in the not too distant future.

Not only was I surprised that Living Life was made by 19 year old Jesse Harris, I was also deeply moved and inspired by the film. I fell in love with the characters and was swept away by their story. I loved the music, which caressed the film with its subtle minimalistic beauty. The writing was brilliant, and the camera work absolutely divine. This film is truly a tremendous achievement and I foresee all the people involved bringing us even better films in the years to come. Keep your eyes out for Jesse Harris and his extremely talented film-making team. They'll be entertaining you for decades! Go see Living Life, you wont be disappointed.

I'm a 15 year old girl and I love this movie. All my girlfriends loved it and we even saw it again and brought some guys with us, they even really liked it. But, its a really good movie. I heard about because I heard the director interview on the radio, he was only 17 when he made the film!!!!!!! It looks like it was made for a million dollars by Hollywood, it's amazing. But the film is so uplifting and emotional, I even saw some of the guys I was with crying. But it just makes you happy. My favorite part was the magic scenes and the little boy in the hospital, he was so cute. I babysit some young kids and I told them about Living Life and they saw and they also loved, its just a really good movie and its made by a teenager, you have to see it just for that.