Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet
2012
***½
Director: Jess Vile
Cast:
In the late 1980s, teenage guitar prodigy Jason Becker broke to the heavy metal scene with his fast playing and high technical ability. At the age of 20, he joined David Lee Roth's band, but just when his career was about to move to the next level, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This debilitating muscle disease would render him completely immobile and kill him within five years. And yet, in 2012 Becker is still alive and composing music through a combination of eye-communication and computer technology. Jess Vile's captivating documentary celebrates Becker's mental strength and creative spirit, and the incredible dedication of his family and carers. It's a hagiographical rather than a biographical film, but a moving one all the same.
