Get Low
- Issi Israel Doron
- 13 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Sometimes you stumble upon a movie unintentionally. Not a film that received extensive coverage, not something very well-known or famous. Just another movie, it would seem. No high expectations, no prior preparation. And then you watch it — and boom — it surprises you.
That was my experience when I watched the 2009 film Get Low, an American drama directed by Aaron Schneider and written by Chris Provenzano and C. Gaby Mitchell.
The plot sounds as if it came straight out of an exercise for beginner screenwriters: an old, lonely man with a dubious past and an ominous reputation approaches a local funeral home and asks them to prepare his funeral. His only condition is that he be present at the funeral — meaning the ceremony will take place while he is still alive, listening to all the stories told about him. Get Low takes this eccentric premise and deepens it into a quietly powerful journey. Felix Bush, the reclusive hermit at the center of the story, steps out of decades of isolation to arrange this “living funeral,” unsettling a community that has turned him into folklore. As the undertaker Frank Quinn and his assistant Buddy set the event in motion, Felix’s true motives slowly emerge, revealing a long-buried secret and a need for redemption that has shaped his entire life.
This framework story, which sits somewhere between amusing and strange, is given a unique and delicate treatment in this special film. Through this narrative frame, we gradually, gently, and beautifully discover a singular life story. This effect is achieved thanks to excellent direction and outstanding performances by the key actors: Robert Duvall (who plays Felix), Bill Murray (as the funeral home director), and Sissy Spacek (as the woman—about whom I won’t elaborate further so as not to spoil anything).
But why is this a good gerontological film? In my view, the beauty of this movie—beyond the superb acting and directing—lies in the way aging and death are presented from a life-course perspective. This is a fundamental gerontological insight: one cannot understand a person’s old age without understanding the life events and the long trajectory that preceded it. The film’s ability to express this deep understanding through storytelling is truly inspiring.
Therefore, the film can also serve as an excellent platform for a gerontological discussion not only about the unique psychological aspects of old age, but also about key theories surrounding the life-course approach as a lens for understanding aging.
Highly recommended.
2009
USA
Director: Aaron Schneider
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