While reading a book of world records with his great-grandchildren, William Bennett discovers that the world’s oldest man is just days older than he is. Seeing this as a way to cement his legacy, William attempts to outlive the oldest man.
Director’s Vision for ‘The Second Oldest Man Alive’
The Second Oldest Man Alive poses the dramatic question: “As we near the end of our lives, what legacy have we left behind?” When I set out to make the film, I wanted to explore ideas of isolation, longing, and identity. I was especially interested in capturing a portrait of a man in the midst of an intense existential crisis.
Because these narrative ideas felt so dour, I thought it would be apt to create an incredibly drab and dreary atmosphere. The film conceptually is so absurdist at its core, but we went about telling the story in an overarchingly earnest way, only to eventually pull the rug out from under the audience. Texture wise, I thought this very gloomy and melancholic feeling world would best aid the viewer in the journey of protagonist William and compliment the story’s conceit.
The word ‘folksy’ was always on my mind while making the film, this sort of catch-all term. There’s a fableistic quality to a man setting out on a journey to become the oldest man alive, but we explore it through an inherently absurd lens. It’s essentially a folk tale about a man claiming his title.
The Second Oldest Man Alive doesn’t pull its punches. It’s a story of a decaying man who, in the face of death, soldiers on in an attempt to make a name for himself. But the film’s heel turn forces us to question whether any of it was worth it for William in the end.
