An audience favorite at film festivals worldwide, THE SPEED OF LIFE is an urban, coming-of-age tale that centers around Sammer, a quiet 13 year old kid from Brooklyn who steals video cameras from tourists.
He and his small gang retreat to their neighborhood to pawn the goods, but Sammer always keeps the tapes. Alone in his bedroom, Sammer sifts thru other peoples’ holiday footage, intrigued by all the seemingly happy faces and far away places. As he slowly stashes enough money away so he, too, can soon travel to distant lands, Sammer must first deal with an older brother who’s set to get out of jail, while also caring for his ailing foster mother. As Sammer and his friends skip school, camp out on the rooftop of their building, and dream of being in the Olympics, they must also unfortunately deal with grownups: a probation officer who doesn't like kids, an ex-con with a secret, and an old man who thinks he can fly. Sammer's experiences waver between fantasy and the harsh reality of growing up in NYC, and he soon discovers that not all tourists are happy, that he must leave for Alaska, and that cameras can indeed fly - even if people cannot.
THE SPEED OF LIFE premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it was awarded a special jury prize.
Directed by Ed Radtke
transparentfilms.com
The University of Texas at Austin
Department of Radio-Television-Film
Faculty Feature
Spring 2007
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