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Although the name Robbie Kay may not immediately ring any bells for the average person, there’s a decent chance that this young British actor’s face might be a bit more familiar. Beginning his career with a (sadly cut) part in Christopher Nolan’s 2006 film “The Illusionist”, Kay has since made a handful of appearances throughout film and television, taking on roles in films like “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “Blood Fest”, as well as television series such as “Once Upon a Time” and “Heroes Reborn”. As these examples show, Kay is among the finest of many great young actors, and nowhere is that better shown than in the World Wide Motion Pictures distributed drama, “Ways to Live Forever”.
Based on the 2008 novel by Sally Nicholls, the film shows Robbie Kay as Sam, a twelve-year-old boy full of questions about everything: ghosts, UFOS, horror movies, and of course, the opposite sex. There is one thing he wants to learn more about above all else though: his disease. Sam has leukemia, and although his family would rather have him not dwell on his mortality and enjoy life while he can, Sam is determined to find out more about death and his disease. With the help of his friend Felix, Sam begins a “scientific investigation” of his predicament, which leads to him creating a list of everything he wants to do – break a world record, fly in a blimp, kiss a girl – while he is still alive. What follows is a string of events that confront the uncertainty of Sam’s future with love, humor, and even a little of the unexpected.
As the film is a co-production between the United Kingdom and Spain, “Ways to Live Forever” was able to find a decent amount of awards buzz at Spain’s Cinema Writers Circle Awards in 2011. There it won the CEC Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated in five other categories, including Best Picture. Additional awards were picked up at a variety of film festivals. These include the Golden Wave Award for Best Film at the Bordeaux International Festival of Women in Cinema in Bordeaux, France; the Michel Award at the Hamburg Film Festival in Hamburg, Germany; the Audience Award for Best Dramatic Feature and the Crystal Heart Award for Best Feature Film at the Heartland International Film Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana; and the Jury Prize at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn, Estonia.
The subject matter of “Ways to Live Forever” might be a bit off-putting at first glance, but those who continue to follow along with the story will find something much more uplifting and heartfelt than expected. With a solid lead performance from Robbie Kay, the film delivers with great humor, an identifiable lead, and every emotion that one can possibly experience. Those interested can find the movie on Vudu, Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, and Google Play.
