Watch Kids' Reviews of
ONCE IN A LIFETIME PASS, A

A Once in a Lifetime Pass is a charming documentary about a boy and his grandfather. It is lovingly made and very watchable. It made me smile and very teary at times. It deals with the loss of a grandparent, but is suitable for tweens and teens.

This is a real life story about public transit and the way that a senior uses it, plus his grandson. I found it very engaging and appealing. Although it has a sad ending, it is still a wonderful story.

I like that it shows a typical day in the grandfather's life, using his bus pass. The camera work is well done - simple and straightforward and the audio is clear most of the time, although opening and closing music are both way too loud, compared to the rest of the film. The filmmaker would do us all a favor if he evened out the audio. It is a bit difficult to understand the grandfather's dialogue at times, but was still easy to figure out what was going on. The background music is a bit annoying in that it is very repetitive and rather than enhance the film, I wanted it to just go away. It's not so annoying as to disqualify the film, though I wish the filmmaker had sought out something more appropriate to the story. Another drawback, in terms of production is at the ending, the young man talks about the lifetime pass, he is moving constantly and his audio is tainted by the wind. It seems there was no windscreen on the microphone.

I recommend this for a youth and family film festival. I also like that the family it follows is Korean. It is a good representation of that culture, and a loving relationship between the boy and his grandfather. It could be something that would motivate other public transit companies to adopt the free senior pass. The best part for me was seeing the bond between the grandfather and his grandson and how public transit made it possible for the grandfather to live his life more fully. It was engaging from beginning to end and it made an impression on me.

I give this 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 10 through 18. I would rate it higher if the audio levels were fixed. Reviewed by Denise B., KIDS FIRST! Adult Juror.

A Once in a Lifetime Pass is a charming documentary about a boy and his grandfather. It is lovingly made and very watchable. It made me smile and very teary at times. It deals with the loss of a grandparent, but is suitable for tweens and teens.

This is a real life story about public transit and the way that a senior uses it, plus his grandson. I found it very engaging and appealing. Although it has a sad ending, it is still a wonderful story.

I like that it shows a typical day in the grandfather's life, using his bus pass. The camera work is well done - simple and straightforward and the audio is clear most of the time, although opening and closing music are both way too loud, compared to the rest of the film. The filmmaker would do us all a favor if he evened out the audio. It is a bit difficult to understand the grandfather's dialogue at times, but was still easy to figure out what was going on. The background music is a bit annoying in that it is very repetitive and rather than enhance the film, I wanted it to just go away. It's not so annoying as to disqualify the film, though I wish the filmmaker had sought out something more appropriate to the story. Another drawback, in terms of production is at the ending, the young man talks about the lifetime pass, he is moving constantly and his audio is tainted by the wind. It seems there was no windscreen on the microphone.

I recommend this for a youth and family film festival. I also like that the family it follows is Korean. It is a good representation of that culture, and a loving relationship between the boy and his grandfather. It could be something that would motivate other public transit companies to adopt the free senior pass. The best part for me was seeing the bond between the grandfather and his grandson and how public transit made it possible for the grandfather to live his life more fully. It was engaging from beginning to end and it made an impression on me.

I give this 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 10 through 18. I would rate it higher if the audio levels were fixed. Reviewed by Denise B., KIDS FIRST! Adult Juror.

This is the real-life story of a boy and his grandfather, and their closeness with one another. The boy becomes curious as to why his grandfather goes out on a daily basis. He learns of his grandfather's lifetime pass and why that allowed him to ride public transportation on a daily basis. He decides to join his grandfather to discover his habits; however, he unknowingly embarks on a trip to a store far away from their home. Little does the boy know what fate has determined for them. The boy hopes that his grandfather's story will encourage other elders to strive to be active. His grandfather's story will inspire other public transportation agencies to administer lifetime passes to the elderly population.