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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
The sixth short film that I got to see at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival—and the tenth overall film that I will be covering—appeals to pathos. Executive produced by Spike Lee (School Daze, Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, Highest 2 Lowest), How I Learned to Die is incredibly great, reminding me of why I am so fond of coming-of-age tales like, say, Paul Feig’s Freaks and Geeks. Running at about twenty minutes, this coming-of-age comedy-drama short film showcases an endearing and optimistic attitude towards life-threatening ailments.
How I Learned to Die is written and directed by Manya Glassman.
In this review, I will discuss How I Learned to Die. As this article’s title suggests, no spoilers will be present.
Tribeca’s How I Learned to Die Synopsis
According to Tribeca and Jessie Cohen PR & Consulting, here is the official synopsis for Manya Glassman’s comedy-drama short film, How I Learned to Die, executive produced by Spike Lee.
How I Learned To Die is a coming-of-age narrative from the perspective of protagonist Iris, a 16-year-old girl. When Iris initially discovers she must undergo a high-risk surgery with a 60% chance of dying, she dives into a four-day whirlwind of ‘firsts:’ first kiss, first drink, first drive without a license. But it’s the moments she hasn’t planned for – losing a pet, seeing her parents age with fears and flaws – that truly shake her.
Tribeca
In a candid, offbeat rapport with her audience, Iris reflects on the messy beauty of life with an earnest sense of humor and learned humility. With every reckless adventure, she stumbles into truths that cut deeper than her bucket list ever could.
Discussion
In this short, Manya Glassman clearly understands the conventions and techniques of storytelling. How I Learned to Die is told from a first-person point of view. With that in mind, much of the narration is conveyed through the protagonist Iris’s (Lola Darling) accounts of her life. Based on Glassman’s own story, the film is potent from the beginning to the end in this way. I appreciate the narrative that the writer-director crafts around this external conflict. In turn, this causes an internal conflict in the character and her parents.
For instance, Iris’s bucket list is quite normal, e.g., her first kiss, getting inebriated, driving without a license, etc. The character learns a lot from the insights of those around her. Kara (Aijia Tang), a close friend of Iris’s, suggests that enduring hardships such as surgery can be harsher on friends and family than on the person experiencing it. This is a valid statement to make, given that when a person dies, they are gone. However, everyone else must inevitably experience the grieving process.
Technical Elements
I love music composer Randal Branham’s supervision of the soundtrack, which guides viewers through the pathos of the short film’s rhetorical appeal. In one specific sequence, Glassman and the director of photography, Marshall Cooper, capture the various faces of students and faculty members at Iris’s school. They’re not necessarily presented as passersby but implied to be people with stories of their own. Seriously, Branham’s song selections are brilliant, despite having to cram them into a short film with this long a runtime.
Production designer Won Hwang’s set pieces are excellent backdrops for the moments that Glassman aims to take the audience through, from Iris’s home to her school to her hospital rooms. Interestingly enough, I enjoy the small scene of a young Iris (Maeve Huxley) discovering white hair on her father Sam’s (John Hillner) head. This bit is exhibited as if in an old footage format, possibly video home system (VHS). Editor Rob Tinworth juxtaposes this nicely with a flashforward to Iris in a room with her father in the present, complemented with the music.
I also love the sequence of Iris and her family cooking a meal together. Glassman assembles the elements of Cooper’s shots, Branham’s music, Tinworth’s editing, and Hwang’s set decorations of food and other items. Moreover, Tinworth’s work on the concluding scene of Iris going under surgery in the hospital is excellent.
Is This Loss?
Look how the world…changes from here!
Iris (Lola Darling)
Glassman constantly accentuates to viewers that loss does not need to be a negative feeling; it’s a human feeling that we deal with every day. Iris cries over the passage of time and how this can affect people. It makes sense, then, that How I Learned to Die is executive produced by Spike Lee, whose narration on Mo’ Better Blues ends on a good full-circle moment. Iris cites Kara living in a divorced household as an implied form of loss. Of course, that is not to say that one person’s loss is worse than another’s. Rather, loss differs depending on the individual and on the collective, in this case, Iris and her family.
The Crew Behind How I Learned to Die
How I Learned to Die is executive produced by Spike Lee and produced by Victor Pigasse and Nile Price.
Marshall Cooper serves as the director of photography. Nada Bedair and Andreas Nicholas serve as the gaffers.
Rob Tinworth serves as the editor of the Tribeca short film.
Randal Branham serves as the music composer.
Steve Kidd serves as the associate casting director.
Won Hwang serves as the production designer.
Lauren Carmen serves as the costume designer. Bianca Corso serves as the hair and makeup artist.
The Cast of How I Learned to Die
Lola Darling portrays Iris, the protagonist of the Tribeca short film.
Rebecca Gibel (Sian Heder’s CODA, Gary Dauberman’s ‘Salem’s Lot), and John Hillner portray Rachel and Sam, Iris’s mother and father’s respectively.
Aijia Tang plays Kara, Iris’s close friend.
James Wert plays Drew.
Khurram Faizan and Bing Huang portray Doctor Faizan and Doctor Huang, respectively.
Maeve Huxley portrays a young Iris.
Melissa Penick portrays Nurse Miranda.
Andrew Belotte, Victoria Cannon, Mina Eskandar, Rodney Lopez Jr., Maribe Perez, producer Nile Price, and Gloria Sosa appear as people in a hospital unit.
Character Developments and Performances
Darling’s portrayal of Iris is weird. However, it’s the type of “weird” that audiences should expect from a narrative centered on a teenager. The actor is a natural in this regard, encapsulating the daily adventures of being young…except Iris wears a neck brace. Darling navigates viewers through levity and severity to astonishing effect. I appreciate Glassman’s exposition through this lead character. Every piece of information is actually useful in getting to know Iris.
Glassman highlights how loss is anticipated and coped with through Iris’s parents, Sam and Rachel (Rebecca Gibel). Sam acts as if he does not care, as if matters might settle themselves. Hillner has a funny way about portraying his character, but again, I appreciate Glassman’s depiction of her narrative. In juxtaposition, there is Rachel, who raises more concern over Iris’s ailment. Sure, the protagonist has difficulty connecting with her father in areas. Yet, with her mother, Iris is given a present of sentimental value. Conversely, this can present trouble. The chemistry between the family members is genuine, especially when it concerns Iris’s monologue over the fact that people are not looking at one another anymore.
Final Thoughts on Manya Glassman’s Tribeca Short, How I Learned to Die
With Spike Lee as a mentor, Manya Glassman plays her cards right in filmmaking. How I Learned to Die isn’t necessarily a biopic or documentary, but it features narrative beats and other details to dramatize the storyteller’s own experiences. Out of many films in Tribeca’s Shorts category, this one authentically plays out as a short-form motion picture. I am curious to see what Glassman does next because she seems to know what she is doing here.
4.5/5 stars
Manya Glassman’s How I Learned to Die is now playing at the Tribeca Film Festival!
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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
