MORE THAN A LIFE
Luke Holland, ZEF Productions, UK, 2002
BBC TWO: Monday 2 September 2002 11.20pm-12.30am
Filmmaker Luke Holland followed his brother Peter's five-year fatal
battle with myeloma, a rare form of bone marrow cancer. But this
is a story about living with cancer, rather than dying of cancer.
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Commissioner's
Comment Nick Fraser
Storyville Series Editor
In More Than a Life filmmaker Luke Holland gives an account of the last five years of his brother Peter's life.
Holland comes from a family of English eccentrics. His father took him into Paraguay in the 50s where they lived in a commune. On their return to England Peter became the main support of the family. He is a scrap merchant and he lives a loud, productive and entirely charming life. Then he gets myeloma.
The film records his struggles against the illness. For all the grief expressed when Peter dies it is never in the least depressing. The great thing about the film is just how remarkable Peter is, and the degree to which the fact that he is loved by his family and friends in some way at times seems to make up for he fact that he is dying. A memorable film.
