Life Expectancy

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***Life Expectancy*** is a 2021 American suspense drama film made using Plotagon by Sammy Knight. It is the sixth animated film he made with the application and is based on Dean Koontz's novel of the same name. It is also his first Plotagon film catered to an adult audience, whereas the rest of his films were targeted to kids/teens. The film centers on Jimmy Tock, whose dying grandfather predicted "five terrible days" in his grandson's life before he was born.

The film premired on YouTube on September 18, 2021, and received critical acclaim.

## Plot

On August 9, 1974, in Snow Village, Colorado, Josef Tock in his deathbed lists 10 predictions that shape the life of his grandson Jimmy with the last five being dates referred to as "five terrible days", then dies the very minute his grandson was predicted to be born. Next, Natalie Beezo, a trapeze artist and the wife of circus clown Konrad Beezo, dies giving birth to their son Punchinello. In a mad rage, Konrad kills Dr. MacDonald and Nurse Hanson, blaming them for his wife's death, then flees the hospital. Josef's daughter-in-law Madelaine, wife of Josef's son Rudy and expected to give birth to Jimmy, passes out during delivery and neither of them saw the baby until Nurse Coleman entered the delivery room with Jimmy in her arms, soon explaining that she hid with the baby from Konrad during his mad rampage. She then gives Rudy the birth certificate that lists Jimmy's height, weight, and minute of birth; all of which matching Josef's predictions, with the nail on the coffin being Jimmy's condition that came to him at birth: syndactyly on his toes.

On September 15, 1994, the first terrible day, 20-year-old Jimmy Tock visits the library, where he witnesses the murder of the librarian. The killer then holds Jimmy and a young woman named Lorrie Lynn Hicks hostage. The two soon learn that the killer is the son of Konrad Beezo, Punchinello, and he and his cohorts Honker and Crinkles are planting explosives under Snow Village’s four major holdings; the bank, the library, the courthouse, and the mansion; as revenge against the town for the death of Punchinello’s mother as he was told by his father. Then in the mansion, Punchinello kills Honker and Crinkles and has Jimmy load boxes of money stolen from the bank into the van, but is soon unexpectedly stabbed in the crotch by Jimmy using a nail file. Punchinello is soon arrested after the mansion explodes, and Jimmy and Lorrie later get married.

On January 19, 1998, the second terrible day, a madman burns down Jimmy’s house just as he and Lorrie were leaving for the hospital as she is in first-stage labor. Jimmy gets separated from Lorrie attempting to drive off the madman’s shotgun, then Lorrie is stuck with this man, who turns out to be Konrad Beezo seeking compensation for the arrest of his son by stealing her expected child. Jimmy gets back to the car just in time to knock Beezo out and tie him to a tree with a tow cable before finally driving to the hospital and the baby is delivered, named Annie. However, Beezo escapes from his predicament and leaves a note at Jimmy’s mailbox, warning him that if Lorrie gives birth to a boy, he’ll be after him.

On December 22, 2002, the day before the third terrible day, Konrad Beezo disguises himself as an FBI Officer to spread false hope that Beezo is indeed soon to be caught, making it easier for him to take their youngest child, Andrew, only for his identity to be discovered. In the attack, Lorrie gets wounded by Beezo, who in return is killed by Jimmy. Lorrie is taken to the hospital, where Jimmy’s maternal grandmother Rowena passes on the next day. That same day, Lorrie had one of her kidneys removed, but the Tock family is still able to have a Merry Christmas.

On November 26, 2003, the fourth terrible day, Jimmy and Lorrie visit Punchinello in prison to ask him a favor. However, Punchinello requests compensation and asks favors for delivery of two cards each year; one for his birthday and the other for Christmas; a paperback copy of each book written by Constance Hammersmith, and a little money for snacks and candy. Afterwards, it is revealed that Punchinello, just like Jimmy, was born with syndactyly. This is because the two are fraternal twins, born of Natalie Beezo, and Madelaine’s biological child actually died during delivery. This is essential because the purpose of Jimmy’s visit is to ask Punchinello to donate one of his kidneys to save the life of their eldest child, Annie. Punchinello agrees, but asks one more favor; for Jimmy and Lorrie to kill their grandfather, a famous aerialist named Virgilio Vivacemente, who was first accused of sending an assassin to kill Konrad, Natalie, and Punchinello the night of Punchinello and Jimmy’s birth. Despite Jimmy’s worries, Punchinello fully complies with his end of the deal and Annie is saved.

On April 16, 2005, the fifth and final terrible day, Jimmy receives a box full of money from Virgilio Vivacemente and a note guiding him and Lorrie to the circus tent. Vivacemente offered the money in return for their youngest child Andrew, hoping to train him to be an aerialist. It is also learned that Jimmy and Punchinello were actually products of incest: Natalie was the mother, but Virgilio is their grandfather *and* father. Jimmy and Lorrie refuse the offer and Vivacemente threatens to kill them and take all three of their children unless they comply. Jimmy attempts to pull his gun on Vivacemente, but he was slow on the draw and drops from Vivacemente’s bullets, but Lorrie quickly finishes off Vivacemente. But Jimmy revealed himself to have been wearing a bullet-proof vest, saving him from Vivacemente. Two years later, Lorrie gives birth to a fourth child named Rowena, and Jimmy is told by Nurse Coleman about a dying elderly woman who predicted five glorious days in the life of their daughter. Jimmy and Lorrie believes this could all mean something, and Jimmy gives one simple wish to their new daughter; “Prepare to be enchanted!”

## Characters

James "Jimmy" Tock - The protagonist, a young man who experiences five terrible days according to his grandfather's dying predictions

Lorrie Lynn Hicks - A young woman who marries Jimmy after the first terrible day

Konrad Beezo - A mad clown who has an obsession with raising an heir to the Beezo clown tradition

Punchinello Beezo - The son of Konrad Beezo, and later revealed as the twin brother of Jimmy

Rudy Tock - Father of Jimmy

Madelaine "Maddy" Tock - Mother of Jimmy

Josef Tock - Father of Rudy and grandfather of Jimmy, dead after giving his ten predictions

Charlene Coleman - A nurse who works at the Snow County Hospital, and the one who brought Jimmy to Rudy and Maddy

Huey Foster - Chief of the Snow Village Police

Annie, Lucy, and Andrew Tock - The three children of Jimmy and Lorrie, from eldest to youngest

Virgilio Vivacemente - The maternal grandfather of Punchinello and Jimmy, and head of the Vivacemente circus

## Production

The film was first announced on February 27, 2021, a fortnight before *Streets of Rage* premiered on YouTube. In the announcement video, Knight also announced that he would be animating certain scenes in *Happy Wheels 3: Multi-Insanity* by DBG Channel, thus the reason the film's release date is set for September-December 2021. The first 10 1/2 minutes were leaked on March 14, 2021 and a teaser trailer was released on April 9, 2021. In the teaser trailer, he stated that the film would be his first adult film considering the original source material. A first trailer was published on May 8, 2021. Then on August 5, the final trailer was posted and the film was posted to YouTube set to premiere on September 18. It eventually premiered on that planned date.

## Reception

### Box office

By the end of its weekend, the film earned $154,741,138 in return of its $100 million budget, making the film a box office disappointment.

### Critical reception

The film earned critical acclaim when it was released, with many praising the animation, characters, story, and humor. Based on 34 assessments on the like-to-dislike ratio system, 100% of assessments were positive (34 likes and 0 dislikes). Many users gave it 10/10, such as JPW, DBG Channel, and Jackster Does Plotagon.

## Trivia

* This is the first Plotagon film to be based on a novel.
* This is the first Plotagon film to be targeted to an adult demographic.
* This is the second Plotagon film to be filmed in Panavision, after Streets of Rage.
* It is currently the longest Plotagon film to date, with a running time of 131 minutes, beating the previous holder Jackster's Big Movie, which had a running time of 103 minutes, in turn Life Expectancy is 28 minutes longer than Jackster's Big Movie.