HBO’s fall documentary series continues tonight with According to Sam, a documentary about an inspiring young man with a rare disease whose courageous journey will probably make you feel bad about your own turdpile of a life.
In 1998, Dr. Leslie Gordon and Dr. Scott Berns learned that their two-year-old son, Sam, had progeria, a progressive aging disorder so rare that fewer than 250 children in the world had it at the time. Little was known about the disease, and all children with progeria died of heart attack or stroke at an average age of 13. Told there was no treatment or cure, they refused to accept that as the final verdict.
Directed and produced by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine (the Oscar®-winning “Inocente”), LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM chronicles one courageous family’s relentless pursuit of a treatment and a cure, even as his parents empower their son to enjoy his life to the fullest. LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM debuts MONDAY, OCT. 21 (9:00-10:45 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
So far HBO’s fall documentary series has included Valentine Road, which was pretty fascinating, and Mondays at Racine, so if your DVR isn’t set for this series yet, you know what to do. Sadly, I can’t just “record series” on DVR, but hey, that’s why you need FilmDrunk every Monday for the reminder.
It’s pretty impressive that this kid is trying so hard to life a normal life. Because if I had a disease that less than a thousand people in the entire world had, you better believe I’d never stop milking it for free stuff. VIP passes to every event, helicopter rides, getting Jennifer Lawrence to come to my prom… While his mom searches for a cure, maybe he could use a manager? I’d be willing to work for half my usual 15 percent (that means I get to smell J-Law’s hair).