When I Walk (FILM REVIEW)
When I Walk
Film Review
by Kam Williams
Auto-Biopic Chronicles Director’s Decline since MS Diagnosis
Jason DaSilva was vacationing on the Caribbean
island of St. Maarten in 2006 when he fell down on
the beach and couldn’t get up. The 25 year-old filmmaker was diagnosed with primary
progressive Multiple Sclerosis, an incurable inflammatory disease eventually leading
to blindness, as well as a loss of balance and muscle control.
Nevertheless,
his hopeful mother refused to let her son feel sorry for himself, encouraging him
to seek help and to employ positive affirmations like, “It’s mind over matter,”
and “You’ll find a way.” Unfortunately, by 2008, Jason’s health deteriorated to
the point where he had become dependent on a walker to get around.
Feeling the
frustration of his body slowing down while his mind raced, he decided to make a
video record of his day-to-day life during the inexorable decline. The fruit of
that effort is When I Walk, an alternately heartbreaking and uplifting tale highlighting
the indomitability of the human spirit.
For, in spite
of DaSilva’s desperate attempt to alleviate his affliction through prayer, yoga,
ayurvedic medicine and trans-meditation, he continued to be betrayed by a
deteriorating immune system. Thanks to his ever-present camera, he is able to
afford the audience an intimate look at his brave battle against MS.
Shot mostly
in the director’s adopted hometown of New
York City, the movie is actually much more than a mere
chronicle of the subject’s health concerns, as it also devotes considerable
attention to his romantic relationship. Jason is suddenly in a rush to start a
family, but the object of his affection, Alice,
has reasonable reservations about marriage.
After all, bringing
a baby into the world with a husband with such a dire prognosis might
ultimately mean raising a child while simultaneously caring for a virtual
invalid. So, she consults her dad, who just happens to be dating a woman with
MS, for a little fatherly advice.
Will Alice
and Jason tie the knot, when his legs fail entirely and his walker has to be
replaced by a scooter? Rather than spoil this bittersweet biopic’s surprising resolution,
just let me say Hollywood execs would probably dismiss this sentimental tearjerker
as farfetched if pitched as a piece of romance fiction.
An unblinking look at a life and
love irreversibly altered by the onset of MS.
Excellent
(3.5 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 85 minutes
Distributor: Long
Shot Factory
To see a trailer for When I Walk, visit:
No comments:
Post a Comment