Love, Antosha (9/10)

by Tony Medley

Runtime 93 minutes

R.

Anton Yelchin was born in Soviet Russia of two Soviet figure skaters. They did not want to raise him there so emigrated to the United States. At a very young age he was diagnosed with Cystic Fiborsis, a fatal disease of the lungs. His parents did not tell him until he was old enough to deal with it.

This is a fascinating documentary of his short life, told with archival films that go back to his childhood, interviews with contemporaries like Jennifer Lawrence, and his writings and things he said himself. Rather than going on about it, just a few of the quotes will give you a flavor of how it tells the story of a unique person.

“He might have been the youngest person on camera, but he was I think the person who quietly, without even realizing it, I think, challenged all of us to be as good as he was.” J.J. Abrams, director of Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) in which Yelchin played Chekov.

Zoe Saldana, who also played in the Star Trek film said, “My God, this kid is so deep. I’ve gotta get myself in shape!”

“I remember getting into this very heated debate about the merits of Bob Dylan versus Simon & Garfunkle and he couldn’t believe that I preferred Simon & Garfunkle to Bob Dylan. I just remember I couldn’t believe getting into this argument with a 17 year old kid, I mean I’ve been around the block, kid. I love Simon & Garfunkle, but he really made me question my relationship to these musicians that I’ve loved all my life. He really knew what he was talking about, no matter what it was and there is some real beauty in that,”  Zachary Quinto, who played Spock.

Jodie Foster, who directed Anton in her 2011 film The Beaver, “He did a lot of thinking and a lot of writing and sometimes his thinking got in his way. It was almost like his brain was too big and he couldn’t contain all of his ideas…I wouldn’t say that he was an intellectual, but he really loved the play of the mind and he had to put some of that to bed in order to be an actor.”

“He was an old soul…I found myself treating him as a contemporary.” Martin Landau.

Others interviewed include Kristen Stewart, Chris Pine, Willem Dafoe, and Frank Langella as well as both his parents. The title comes from how he signed the many letters he wrote to his beloved mother. Directed by Garrett Price, clearly Anton was of unique talents and intellect, was happy and free-spirited despite his illness. Had I not been a film critic, I never would have considered seeing it, and am so happy I did.