Video on Demand — July 2014
Video pick of the month
Life Itself
The filmmaker behind the masterful Chicagoland documentaries Hoop Dreams and The Interrupters gives us an up close and personal look at the final months of Ebert’s life, crafting both a tough-minded look at his physical decline and a warm-hearted celebration of a singular cultural figure’s life and work. At the center of the film is Ebert’s relationship with his wife Chaz, whom he met in AA in 1979 and who has carried on his legacy in a number of ways. The movie’s glimpses of their last months together are often nothing short of harrowing; they often contain the ugly truths of being at the death house’s door. To the couple’s credit, they don’t flinch from the depiction. (Brandon Harris)
