What is the name of this film?

November 26, 2005 10:12 AM

Please help me identify this short film. I saw it on PBS about 15 years ago. It involved a society where time was literally money, and this time was linked directly to your lifespan.

I believe the film begins with an old man trying to sell a painting to this young boy to acquire another day or two of life.

This boy proves to have great business acumen and becomes extremely wealthy. The wealthy are allowed admission to a paradise where they will more or less live forever.

Another character in the film (the boy's sister?), lives a dissolute life and at the end is seen begging fellow gamblers at a casino for another hour while her time is counting down.

When I saw it, this film was aired on the same program as "All Summer in a Day" and another short.

posted by MasonDixon to media & arts (5 comments total)

A few years back a friend of mine worked at the Arizona PBS as the information desk clerk. Anyone could call in and describe a program they saw on the channel and student workers would go on a hunt and find the information for you. Maybe your local PBA has the same kind of thing.
posted by phytage at 10:31 AM on November 26, 2005

The Price of Life.

I found it by Googling for "time is literally money" film.
posted by Gator at 11:07 AM on November 26, 2005

The Price of Life is it!

I am a little suprised because I Googled and searched extensively before posting here. Oh well.

Thanks for helping me find something that had been bothering me for a long time.
posted by MasonDixon at 11:14 AM on November 26, 2005

Fantastic post Gator, imdb link, the google search term, perfectly concise, I love it!

The only thing that could make it better is a link to the torrent :P
posted by Chuckles at 11:21 AM on November 26, 2005

Is the show any good?
posted by craniac at 2:44 PM on November 26, 2005