Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet, Cert 12A, 87 mins - review

 
p46 p47 p48 films
16 November 2012

Jesse Vile’s documentary has an astonishing story to tell and a hero at the centre of it who can’t be admired enough. Jason Becker, a Californian teenage guitar prodigy, was hailed a genius by the time he was in his late teens and all set to become a huge star until struck down by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis for which there is no cure and a prognosis of three to five years of life.

He slowly lost the ability to walk or speak. But using a specially designed computer that was able to track his eye movements, he continued to compose and record, and 22 years after his diagnosis, he’s still doing so.

This film is not just about him but about his girl, his parents, an extended family and the musicians who helped him when all seemed lost. It is impossible not to be moved and to feel that, despite all the horrible things that happen, there’s something decent about humans after all.

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