After a string of film-festival screenings that have earned universally positive reviews, the first trailer for Life Itself — a documentary which traces the life and career of legendary film critic Roger Ebert, who died in April 2013 at age 70 — has finally debuted.
Based on Ebert’s eponymous memoir and featuring contributions from friends, frenemies and just a few of those filmmakers whose life his work touched through his long career, Life Itself chronicles his legacy in a way that is funny, painful and honest. It doesn’t draw back from showing him at his most difficult, but it also celebrates his achievements and how much Ebert’s life and work meant to so many people.
Such luminaries as Errol Morris, Werner Herzog, Martin Scorsese and more line up to talk about Ebert, along with many of his friends and fellow critics and his wife, Chaz. They all have stories to tell; this is a man who lived life to the full and refused to concede when cancer came his way. US audiences will see the film on VOD and in cinemas on July 4. We’re hoping it’ll make its way over here soon enough.
Agencies/Canadajournal