Review and Invitation to "Dying to Live" Documentary

This past Saturday night I gathered with eight other men and one remarkable actor, writer, director, producer, caregiver and wonderful human being. He showed us the documentary he had just finished and wanted our thoughts and feelings about it. It is called “Dying To Live.” The man’s name is Ben Mittleman. He is an actor by trade and stars in his own documentary about his family and experiences during the year 2000. He is faced with needing open heart surgery to repair damage to his heart valve. Along with this he discovers that his soul mate and companion of the last 20 years has an aggressive form of lung cancer, his mother is declining in health and his father’s cousin, whom he takes care of as if she were his mother, is declining in health as well. Yet, throughout all this, he manages to be there for everyone and take care of himself as well. We see and hear his uttermost fears and regrets. There is nothing false about this film. It is all done with a hand held video camera and edited well. After seeing it I realized how much pain I had felt watching it. It made me go deeper into my innermost thoughts and feelings and I cried and cried. This film opened up unhealed wounds in me that I thought were healed. I thank god it did as I can now know what I need to work on. Ben is a very courageous giving man and has given us a gift by sharing his life. If you are interested, you can see a trailer of the film on his website, www.dyingtolivethemovie.com. Ben is having a benefit premier of his movie on March 13, 2008 and has extended an invitation to our community to attend. It will also be shown regularly for the following 2 weeks as well. I would highly recommend that you and your family see this movie together. It is my opinion that this film will change your life.

-Bruce Figoten

Ben Mittleman’s Film, “Dying to Live,” is extremely important for men to view on many levels. Ben is forced into a mid-life crisis that few of us can imagine on our worst days. As he approaches age 50, his athletically perfect body, which has always been an important element of who he is, suddenly starts to fail. His successful acting career is crushed in mid-stride. He can no longer get his breath after two minutes of exercise, nor can he run five miles a day. The culprit is a mitral valve in his heart which has begun to leak and will require immediate surgery if he expects to live. We learn that his father had the same affliction, which changed his life into a painful spiral into depression and death. The film focuses on Ben’s reaction to his own crisis, his realization of his own mortality, how others around him react to it (or run away), and his relationships with those close to him. He is willing to share his struggles with us, the audience, in a feat of bravery seldom witnessed. His successful emergence from the surgery and its aftermath is followed almost immediately by the revelation that his wife’s mesothelioma has become much more aggressive. His feelings of guilt that maybe he was the cause of the exacerbation of her disease begin to emerge. He allows us to witness their relationship through the times of hoping for miraculous cures, the realization that were to be no cures, and finally, her dying process. The film very strongly captures the fact that a man can be a strong and faithful caretaker, as Ben is to his wife, his mother, and his aunt. Above all, Ben’s bravery in letting us see and share every private piece of himself is truly amazing. We all have something important to learn from viewing this film.

- Rich Manners

Here is an invitation from Ben Mittleman:
There is a simple lesson underlying the work I’ve been doing these past few years; that the truth will never hurt you. I ask for your help in bringing my new film into the world.

My documentary feature, “Dying To Live- the journey into a man’s open heart” will have its benefit premiere on March 13, 2008 at the Laemmle Music Hall Theatre in Beverly Hills, CA at 7:30pm. This will be followed by a two week run at the Music Hall.

The proceeds of the premiere screening will be donated to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation and the Los Angeles Caregivers Resource Center. Both of these charities hold great significance for me and the issues brought to light in the movie.

Over the years I have often needed to reach out to my friends for support. Now I believe I’ve made a movie that will resonate to a broad audience and help families living through the raw realities of survival and loss.

In “Dying to Live,” I’ve laid bare everything I’ve learned in the theatre and in life. The film needs a leg up and I hope you will help me spread the word.

Visit the website at: www.dyingtolivethemovie.com, watch the trailer, forward it on to your friends & family and come out to the premiere. The tickets for the event are $35. Please hold the date open to attend on Thursday March 13.

You can book tickets for the premiere at: www.dyingtolivethemovie.com/tickets or call our office at 310-859-7292. If you aren’t able to make the opening, please come out during the run. It’s important to demonstrate that this small film with heart has an audience.

Looking forward to seeing you there, and thanks for your help.

Sincerely,

- Ben Mittleman