What movies talk about recording life events?

December 2, 2011 8:17 AM

Help me identify movies that feature the recording of one's life events. I am looking to develop a strategy for a website or an app like Path, and I would like to include references to movies.

I actually have one movie in mind that likely came out in the 90s (based on my age and memory.) From my recollection, it had a funeral scene where a video of a series of events (perhaps an entire life?) was implied to have played. Even if you can't identify that movie, please contribute!

posted by jacobw to media & arts (15 answers total)

Was it My Life with Michael Keaton?

Or maybe Defending Your Life?
posted by mattbucher at 8:20 AM on December 2, 2011

The movie I had in mind was probably My Life, though I'm not certain. I appreciate you offering up Defending Your Life. I will have to see if I can rent it.

Hope to see more movies listed!...Who's next?
posted by jacobw at 8:28 AM on December 2, 2011

Brainstorm
Until the End of the World
Strange Days
posted by caek at 8:35 AM on December 2, 2011

I was going to suggest Strange Days, but caek beat me to it.
posted by MsMolly at 8:48 AM on December 2, 2011

Dear Zachary
posted by mkultra at 8:49 AM on December 2, 2011

On the show "The United States of Tara" she uses a video diary to leave notes to herself, so she can re-establish continuity later on after an episode with one of her multiple personalities.
posted by hermitosis at 8:49 AM on December 2, 2011

Seconding "Defending Your Life."

Also - how about
The Truman Show
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
posted by mark7570 at 8:49 AM on December 2, 2011

I can't believe I hadn't thought of "The Truman Show!" Thanks, mark7570!

Dear Zachary sounds like a movie I'd love and it fits the criteria. Thanks, mkultra!

Glad to see some "seconding" of Strange Days and Defending Your Life.

Keep them coming!
posted by jacobw at 9:00 AM on December 2, 2011

The 1990's version of Hamlet (with Ethan Hawke as Hamlet?) had the Hamlet character constantly reviewing videos of his life ... Something of a presaging of the YouTube generation, I think.

The film Minority Report has the character played by Tom Cruise compulsively reviewing videos of his wife and children ... I think they were deceased?
posted by jayder at 9:02 AM on December 2, 2011

One of my favorite quirky no-budget films is In the Bathtub of the World, which is basically a distillation of a year long film diary by filmmaker Caveh Zahedi. In that film his camera can be fairly intrusive, I can recall him filming arguments with his girlfriend and her crying, but most of it is lots of mundane stuff from daily life. Often he would address the camera directly. I found it very entertaining.
posted by jayder at 9:07 AM on December 2, 2011

The Final Cut is a thriller about an editor who edits movies made from peoples lives by an implanted memory device.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:07 AM on December 2, 2011

I should add, The Final Cut (2004) is likely the movie you are thinking about, as the edited movies are meant to be played at one's funeral, and the editor character is very much like an undertaker in the future society of the film.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:15 AM on December 2, 2011

Thank you, Rock Steady! The Final Cut is definitely the movie I was thinking about. I'm surprised it isn't older than 2004, though.

I think some of the other suggestions may actually be more relevant to the task at hand...hope there are some more suggestions coming!
posted by jacobw at 9:20 AM on December 2, 2011

So I'm contributing and not just commenting on others: Babies was a simple documentary that I found entertaining.
posted by jacobw at 9:45 AM on December 2, 2011

This may not be exactly what you're looking for but the Japanese film "After Life" featured a strange sort of purgatory. The recently deceased would have to search their memories for one moment to spend the rest of eternity in. Once they had decided on a memory the scene would be reconstructed in a movie set and then filmed. Once the filming had taken place the deceased would be forever embedded in that memory.
posted by talkingmuffin at 12:07 PM on December 2, 2011