Sunday 20 April 2014

The Crash Reel

I watched The Crash Reel yesterday...

The dramatic story of one unforgettable athlete, Kevin Pearce; one eye-popping sport, snowboarding; and one explosive issue, Traumatic Brain Injury.  A comeback story with a difference.
This eye-popping film seamlessly combines twenty years of stunning action footage with new specially-shot verité footage and interviews as it follows U.S. champion snowboarder Kevin Pearce and exposes the irresistible but potentially fatal appeal of extreme sports. 
An escalating rivalry between Kevin and his nemesis Shaun White in the run-up to the 2010 Olympics leaves Shaun on top of the Olympic podium and Kevin in a coma following a training accident in Park City, Utah.  Kevin's tight-knit Vermont family flies to his side and helps him rebuild his life as a brain injury survivor.  But when he insists he wants to return to the sport he still loves, his family intervenes with his eloquent brother David speaking for all of them when he says, “I just don’t want you to die.” Kevin’s doctors caution him that even a small blow to the head could be enough to kill him. Will Kevin defy them and insist on pursuing his passion?  With his now impaired skills, what other options does he have?  How much risk is too much? 
The Crash Reel - The Ride of A Lifetime - Directed by Lucy Walker
It is an amazing film which portrays brain injury in a very real way.  It is filled with amazing stunts and highlights the sacrifices behind them.
It really got me thinking... do I think about the risks enough?  Am I so intent on not letting epilepsy stop me from doing anything that I can't accept that there are things that I just can't do.  Like my job, I felt like I'd failed because I couldn't do the job I wanted, but am I too focused on succeeding in everything that I can't accept when there are things I just can't do.  Like running the marathon... it's something I could have done, before my epilepsy started... but my epilepsy may mean I just can't do it and I shouldn't see it as I have failed.  But at the same time maybe I need to think about my family, how hard am I going to push myself? I can't do it in a year, I'm not like I was before and I need to accept that.
I guess what I'm saying is maybe I shouldn't get so obsessed about not letting epilepsy stop me doing anything and then feel I've failed if something doesn't work out.  I think part of me doesn't want to look at the risks, just keep going without thinking about the possible consequences, but maybe there are things which I have to say no too, I think I need to learn to accept that.
It is definitely a film everyone should watch, it will really make you think...

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