2026 Student Academy Awards Series Part 6: I Want to Live

I Want to Live, dir. Jason Elliott

The second Student Academy Award winner for Best Documentary in our series is Jason Elliott's I Want to Live from the National Film and Television School. The short narrates the history of Mallory Smith, a girl who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of 3. The medicine regiment she is put on is relentless. Every day she receives countless amounts of pills, goes through lung exercises, and undergoes antibiotic treatments. Throughout her childhood, bacteria spread inside her lungs. After decades-long antibiotic treatment the bacteria began to mutate and by 15 the bacteria had transformed into a superbug. I Want to Live documents the family's fight for novel treatments, including phage therapy the lung transplants, in order to prolong this life afflicted with such a debilitating disease.

Mixed with home video footage, the documentary utilizes a standard structure of talking head interviews. The director talks to Mallary’s mother, Diane, and to a few scientists who are studying the phage treatments. After Mallory’s tragic passing, her family argues that if only she were given a lung transplant sooner she may have survived. The medical team behind Mallary’s care argued that the time taken to determine a treatment plan was necessary - science requires time and patience. Passionately, Mallary’s family demands a solution that would prolong their loved one’s life, even though it she has an exceedingly rare condition. Understandably, the family pushes for every available solution. In I Want to Live, Elliott carefully showcases the delicate balance between the family's decisions and the scientific process. Any high pressure, life-and-death situation will naturally lead to heightened emotions for all parties evolved. 

Structurally, Elliot’s film follows the same pattern as most films of its kind. It presents a story or problem, the thesis of it, in this case, the scientific explanation, and the aftermath. Yet this case has a fascinating core. It is an example of how the scientific process is longer than the time the patient needs. As devastating as this point is, it happens all too often. In these rare cases of cystic fibrosis, especially those with superbugs, the situation seems hopeless and unavoidable. I Want to Live portrays the agony of what it must feel like to battle this disease and the desire to keep going despite the limitations of current scientific knowledge and procedures.

In this sense, Jason Elliot has the sensibility to place the audience in the middle of these two paths - between those who remember Mallory's life and trajectory, and the scientists who research a possible cure for those who suffer the same sickness as her. In the end, it is a battle of rationality and love, but Elliot carefully constructs the cinematic form to both praise the researchers' effort and eternalize Mallory Smith's life. 

Review by: Pedro Lima