How to Live to a Hundred

Sunny Welsh-Italian cook Michela Chiappa hosts this documentary in which she visits her ancestral lands to explore the reasons behind longevity for a variety of interviewed centenarians. In Wales, Chiappa attends the birthday party of 105-year-old Doris (whose favorite breakfast is “a bit of toast”), meets two other 100-plusers, checks in with 31-year-old overweight Lee (who describes his health as a “ticking time bomb”), and talks with aging expert Professor Vanessa Berholt. Chiappa also heads to Sardinia (home to many 100-year-olds), visits with molecular biologist Gianni Pes, tours a rustic peasant farm, and eats with a traditional family who create everything they consume from scratch. Along the way, Chiappa explores reasons for longevity that include more strenuous work, wholesome nutrition, and having a purpose in life, although the most important facet noted here is good social support. As Doris says, “if you got your family with you, you got some backbone.” True dat. Recommended. Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)