Celebrate the wit and wisdom of age at Harbor Theater

Mon, 03/12/2018 - 8:30am

“Lives Well Lived,”  a special film about some pretty special seniors, comes to Harbor Theater on Thursday, March 22, 7 p.m. and Friday, March 23, 2 p.m.

The documentary film by Sky Bergman celebrates the secrets to longevity of adults 75-100 years old who are living life to the fullest. Bergman’s inspiring interviews with 40 diverse men and women over 75 capture the ideas and ideals of those who are proving that aging is something to cherish, that retirement doesn’t mean you retire from life, and that growing older doesn’t mean growing silent. Their intimate memories and inspiring personal histories will make you laugh, perhaps cry, but mostly inspire you.

Bergman is a photographer. She was fascinated by her own grandmother, and started taking photos of her baking bread and stirring up a storm in her kitchen every day. She wanted to know what was the secret of her long and fruitful life.

“My 103-year-old Italian grandmother enjoyed exercise, making the best lasagna you’ve ever tasted and being with family. She showed me by example, that age is truly just a number,” Bergman said.

Bergman filmed her grandmother at the gym, because she thought nobody would believe she was still working out and asked her for a few words of wisdom.

“My secret to a happy life is to live life to the fullest everyday of your life, be good to everybody you know, do a good deed when you can. Be happy,” said her grandmother, Evelyn Ricciuti.

That was the beginning of a journey that took her over four years and forty interviews to make this film about active people over 75.

“Our greatest role models are those living full and meaningful lives in their later years,” Bergman said. “I hope to inspire people of every age to think about what they can do in their own lives to achieve the longevity of both health and spirit that these people have achieved, and to realize that growing older can be a journey to be celebrated.”