Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet

If you’re familiar with Jason Becker, chances are you’re a guitar nerd with a penchant for ’80s metal. Becker was a prodigy: at the age of 16, in 1986, he was touring the world as half of Cacophony, the axe duo who basically invented arpeggiated shredding (playing the guitar very fast). By 20, he joined David Lee Roth’s band of rock monsters. But a year later, it was all over: Becker was diagnosed with a motor neurone condition that left him unable to move or speak. Still, Becker has since released five albums, composed by him and transcribed by his father via his eye movements. Jesse Vile’s doc tells an inspiring story functionally: he’s a fan, and it shows. We never sense Becker’s frustration or the forces that drive him, but we can still marvel at his dogged endurance.