You Don't Have to Die

Here's an enlightning, positive and encouraging short film whose message is clear and meaningful despite some dated presentation. In "You Don't Have to Die" we follow the Gaes family and their ordeals while trying to save the life of one of their sons, the beloved Jason Gaes in his fight against the cancer at the age of six. Malcolm Clarke's film reaches a simplicity rare to be found in many movies and successfully works in a non-cliched form by interviewing the family, making them re-enact the situations they faced during Jason's declining health and fitting animated segments coming directly from the kid's book, a work designed to encourage other children dealing with cancer.

A film like this isn't just about looking back with tearful eyes about a family who fears for his son's death; it's a real-life story that makes us care, stop overthinking and worrying about our (at times) dull problems and get the real sense of what is like to face such a terrible situation, to see a beloved one suffer from declining health with one troubling issue after another, always hoping for the best but sometimes expecting the worse - and to get a grip to not fall apart. Amidst my own personal issues, this film made me shut them all down for half an hour and see that there's more dramatic and more sad things going on in the world. Movies are meant for that in some way, and not just in the entertainment way - which is a escape - but in this case as a way to stop and rethink about our issues and think how we'd react if going through the same obstacles faced by the Gaes family.

HBO and Clarke's project is an intriguing one and the mixture of dimensions by all three intertwined segments revolving Jason's family is a challenge to our senses. It works perfectly. It could be just the animation parts or the interviews and that would be sufficient enough. But to have the Gaes going back to their most intense and dramatic moments, to make them act all their feelings over again was the real challenge. Some would say, actors could play them but it would be melodramatic; and how Clarke knew that putting the real family representing their actions would suit a film, since they're not trained actors.

It's hard to describe the re-enactment due to its efficiency, it's true to life, you can feel each time they "perform" what they just described whether taking the kid to the hospital or the parents lonelier moments with the father at work, completely immersed in his thoughts or the mother remembering a difficult talk she had with Jason, who was about to give up of everything. When those moments and their interviews are not on the screen, comes Jason's drawings brilliantly transformed into animated sequences - the language mispells are intentional and part of the real book - forming a significant whole of his battle against cancer.

As evidenced by plot summary and other places, Jason survived. With his story comes a testament of courage, resistance and overcoming all possible obstacles he faced with a deadly disease at such a tender age that didn't stopped him: later on he continued his life by helping other kids on similar conditions around the nation, with his book, appearing on TV shows and receiving awards in the following years. A bright kid with a big heart; truly loved by his family, brothers and sisters; and someone who felt the need to assure other children that just because you have cancer you don't have to die or fall into despair. Yes, there is pain, sickness and removes a grand part of childhood but with his fight he never stopped being the child he was: playing games, going to school and having a somewhat decent life even though always struggling.

Sometimes when great stories come we feel bad or disappointed that we don't get the chance to see a follow-up to what happened to everyone involved - unless the filmmakers are really curious or the case gets a widespread attention. So I had to do my own research: Jason Gaes lived until the age of 40, passing away in 2018 (a few months ago) due to a brain cancer caused by his radiation treatments back in the events depicted in the film. I couldn't find anything else besides this film (Oscar winner in 1989) and one report that told about the recognition he got from his book and the commendations he got from his efforts by helping other kids. Not sure if he succeed with his dream of becoming a doctor taking care of sick children like him, but one thing is certain: he was a true example of devotion, compassion, love and put many of us adults into shame. Lessons that won't be forgotten, to be seen time and again. 10/10.