- Olivia knows there is something wrong with her grandpa. He has been slowing down and unable to play his cello. In fact, master cellist Ansel Evans has been diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). As his body shuts down, he makes the difficult decision to minimize the suffering for his closest loved ones by planning a farewell concert. But this decision won't be an easy one to explain to Olivia.—Angie Su
- In this music-driven film, CELLO follows Ansel Evans (Lynn Harrell), a master cellist and loving grandfather who loves nothing more than to play with his 10-year-old granddaughter (Samantha Desman). Suddenly, in a playful scene, he loses his footing on a spiral staircase. At the doctor's office Ansel, accompanied by his concerned daughter, hears that he has the dreaded medical diagnosis of ALS, a progressive disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
As his condition worsens. Ansel can no longer do what he loves most --- play his cello. In a flashback, he remembers his beloved deceased wife and her needless, prolonged suffering for which he feels responsible. Ansel thus makes the decision to minimize physical and emotional suffering for himself and his loved ones; he begins to make preparations for his own goodbye -- a farewell concert. Despite his daughter's protest, Ansel prepares invitations to friends and family to see and hear him one last time.
At the farewell concert, Ansel (played on screen by maestro Harrell) plays one of the most important cello pieces of all time (specially adapted for the film by award winning composer and conductor titled "Ansel's Elgar"). Without warning, however, his bow drops dramatically to the floor and the struggling cellist cannot reach it in order to finish the finale. In front of the audience, Ansel's powerful concert continues -- but without him.
CELLO epitomizes the emotional link a classical music performer has with their chosen profession -- and what happens when they can no longer play. The story asks the universal question -- what to do about prolonged suffering and how to contend with loves ones whose grief parallels the highly personal decision to end one's life on one's own terms. CELLO is a film for anyone coming to grips with life and death decisions. It looks at layers of a life well-lived, and the choices an individual faces without judgment. The music centered film features beloved world renowned Lynn Harrell who plays the master cellist. Vocalist Lara Fabian (known around the world) sings the poignant end title song, "Remember Me, written by award-winning composer Randy Kerber and Glen Ballard.
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