Tom of Your Life

I watched this lovely little film in the midst of wildfires and smoke in California, a global pandemic, a political crisis, an economic collapse, and a couple of personal catastrophes. It takes a lot to distract and cheer me these days! To our great surprise and pleasure, my husband and I both settled cozily into this visually stunning, sensitively written and directed and surprisingly very well acted (given the relative obscurity of its cast) little tale, and ended up feeling refreshed and restored by it, ready for another round of the privilege of being alive, no matter what. Can't ask for more than that from a film! I hope you treat yourself, too. And I hope we see more from Jeremy Sklar.

Independent films with limited budgets are propelled exclusively by the power of the script, the talent of the actors, the quality of the cinematography, the effectiveness of the editing, the sound, lighting, etc, etc. All elements that must be brilliantly aligned and executed in order to captivate and engage audiences. Extremely difficult to pull off with adequate resources, miraculous when achieved with limited resources. TOM OF YOUR LIFE is such a miracle. Every minute of this film captivates and engages the audience in a simple story that defies illusions of time and space to underscore essential truths defining our humanity. Simple, beautiful and powerful storytelling and filmmaking.

I had no idea what to expect coming into this movie and boy was I surprised - in a gray way. The writing, acting, cinematography (the film looks beautiful), everything about this movie feels special from the beginning. It is clear that the writer, director, star, producer, music writer and performer (what else did this guy do?) Jer Sklar just gets it and I for one can't wait to see more from this talented film maker.

I got to view this movie as part of the Burbank International Film Festival. I can honestly say that from the very beginning you know exactly where you're headed, but when you get there, the film will still shatter you. With some subtle curve balls, the story of a life lived in a fraction of time elicits a bittersweet melancholy that will leave you teary-eyed and smiling warmly. Yeah, I know, that pretty much describes life. The performances and gentle depiction of what would otherwise be an average life, lift this story out of the realm of the ordinary, without thrusting into the absurd.

If there is one movie to watch this month -- with your significant other, with your class (if you're a high school or college teacher), or on your own -- this is it. This wonderful "fable" as it's noted, is based the question we all have asked ourselves or others: If you had just one day to live, how would you live it? Then it takes the question to the next level: How would you live it as a child? As an teenager? As an adult? At the end of your life? The acting is superb, especially writer/actor Sklar and actress Baize Buzan. Fascinating to see a film where one talented soul writes the story, directs, acts several roles, and even writes the music. The images, the sub-stories, the songs, and the original humor keep you engaged and thinking.