Never Die Young

A haunting docudrama hybrid, Luxembourg’s submission for Academy Awards consideration conveys a transcendent tragedy that director Cruchten (BOYS ON THE RUN) underlines unforgettably with a striking use of masks and eerie puppet figures. An unnamed man (Stévenin) narrates the downward trajectory of his life from beyond the grave, from delinquency to the string of fateful decisions and foolhardy moves that tied him inextricably to the opiate that was the elusive love of his life. (Gene Siskel Film Center)