By Aya El-Djoundi | Special to the NB Indy
Life is a passing moment. We are all passing moments. We live through life’s moments.
I like to think of us as passing moments who bring something unique and special to the scene. Then suddenly everything becomes a memory. We obviously know this, but how often do we stop and really think about it? People are moments passing by, but they leave us with fuller hearts.
“There’s A Hole In My Bucket” is a documentary film that follows Royd Tolkien, the great-grandson of J. R. R. Tolkien (“Lord of the Rings” author), as he completes a bucket list of things to do left to him by his brother, Mike, who died from Motor Neuron Disease (ALS).
Royd is comfort-bound (risk-averse) and likes to play it safe. His brother Mike, however, leaves him with an adventurous bucket list of 50 challenges he never agreed to and cannot refuse.
We go along with Royd as he takes on his journey through New Zealand. We are carried through a process of human growth, adventure and bonding. This film isn’t just about a man accomplishing the items on a bucket list; it’s about life. It represents what it feels like to go through human experience: love, loss, grief, happiness, anger, ambition, fear. All of it.
Royd lost his brother to ALS, a condition that slowly kills off the nerves in your body until you can’t move, breathe, eat, or talk. Royd described it as essentially being trapped in your own body. According to Royd, his brother Mike was an adventurous soul, someone who loved talking and being active. It is hard to see someone you love go through something like ALS. ALS isn’t talked about enough, and the hardships it leaves behind for the people affected by it.
The new adventure Royd went on not only brought him closer to his brother, it also taught him new things about himself. It pushed him and made him a stronger human being. It is that magical thing life does, the power a person holds, no matter where they are, the moments they create for you to experience. Not only were these adventures for Mike and Royd, but they were also lessons for the people involved. Every adventure is a message to the people around Royd, a message to spread awareness. Every scene, every reaction, it was moving because it’s authentic and vulnerable.
One of my favorite thoughts I had while watching this film was when Royd wore Mike’s hat in Fiordland when he went fishing. It was one of the many ways he felt his brother with him. It gets me to think of how life creates meaning in the spaces in between that we don’t always think about. One day, that hat was on a shelf in a random store. Then a man buys it. That man is Mike. Mike passes and then Royd is left with that hat that once meant nothing to anyone that became one of Mike’s belongings and now means everything to Royd.
These are the beautiful spaces in between that create meaning, without meaning much in the moments they begin.
This film is a reminder of the beautiful gift life is, and we shouldn’t take it for granted. I know we hear these words a lot, and sometimes we get tired of this cliche, but it is the truest thing ever. Because in these moments, when we find ourselves seated in our thoughts about the world, we gain a deeper realization that nothing lasts.
I strongly feel that anyone who comes across this film will feel a greater appreciation for life, and it serves as a reminder to do things you love with the people you love. We are not immune to the hardships that life throws at us.
“Don’t have a bucket list… Just do it now.”
Do not wait. One of the hardest things about being a human being on this Earth is being scared. We often find ourselves missing out on what’s right in front of us because we’re too scared to even look up. Why does it take the deepest, unfortunate circumstances to make us realize that? Why can’t we just enjoy being human beings?
Royd and Mike are the definition of life’s magic. They are proof that the adventure is never over. It’s never too late to say I love you, and it’s never too late to open the next chapter.
Don’t wait until the last minute to check off the bucket list; start now, and encourage the people you have to start it with you. We’re all here, in this moment right now. There’s a difference between being in it and actually living in it. Go live it.
“There’s A Hole In My Bucket” screens October 21 and 22. For tickets, visit NewportBeachFilmFest.com.
