The Boy with the 8 Hour Heart
Mosaic Films
A MOVING DOCUMENTARY ABOUT A YOUNG MAN’S STRUGGLE, AND ACTIVISM, AS HE WAITS FOR A HEART TRANSPLANT.
A MOSAIC FILMS PRODUCTION FOR 4OD
Jim Lynskey’s survival relies on a battery-powered device, a substitute for a heart. Having caught viral meningitis as a baby, along with his twin sister, he was left with damage to his heart and now, as a young adult, he is on the waiting list for a transplant.
This 30 minute documentary is a provocative look at the life-and-death issue of organ donation. It charts Jim’s attempts to have a normal experience of young adulthood despite his ill health, heading off to university and attending events as much as his ‘8 hour’ batteries allow.
However his plans are upended when the technology fails and his life becomes at risk. In pain and with his hopes for the future now in stasis, he throws himself into activism to encourage organ donation and begins campaigning as much as physically possible, alongside his supportive family.
This intimate, observational documentary is a tender look at pain and the humanity behind healthcare statistics. It chronicles the heartbreaking consequences of a transplant system which leaves more people in need of help than it can treat, culminating with a law change in 2020 in which Jim Lynskey was named as a source of inspiration.
Credits:
Produced, Directed and Filmed by: Nick Aldridge
Producer: Auriol Wyles
Executive Producer: Andy Glynne
Film Editor: Jacob K Brown
Production Co-ordinator: Nina Halton-Hernandez
Composer: John Scott
Sound: Tom Aldridge
Colourist: Alexey Moskvin
Dubbing Mixer: Matt Jones
SFX editor: Jaz Harvey
With Special Thanks to the Lynskey family, Aya Arden Clark, Harriet Armston Clarke, Tabs Breese, Lewis Capaldi, Natasha Coleman, Daire Collins, Divya D’Souza, Joby Gee, James Hall, Matt Hopkins, Kevin Sim, Adam Thomas, Sue Turley, Simon Ward, Great North Eastern Brewing Co and Lincoln City Football Club
