Joshua Reviews Lucy Walker’s The Crash Reel [Theatrical Review]

With the end of the year now upon us, many people are setting their sights on either catching up on films they may have missed from earlier in the year that have come back into the spotlight with various critics award or seeing some of the end of the year prestige pictures that are currently making the theatrical rounds. However, documentaries are, as usual, normally low on the list for people as they make their way through the end of the year catch-up phase.

However, one of the year’s best documentaries (one of the cavalcade of non-fiction pictures that will make making a top 10 list this year nearly impossible for this writer) is just about to make a huge splash as it arrives in theaters this weekend.

Entitled The Crash Reel, director Lucy Walker introduces us to an incredible young man named Kevin Pearce, and takes us to the half pipe for this tale of a snowboarder who launches into a rivalry with childhood friend and action sports star Shaun White, becomes a monstrous star in his own right, only to have that all seemingly ripped away from him following a terrible crash. Crashing during practice in Park City, Utah, Pearce suffered a traumatic brain injury, and it is his story that we follow here as part of this wonderfully dense meditation on overcoming trauma, the influence of head injuries in today’s sports world, and ultimately the human strive for what is bigger, better and greater, even in the face of likely harm.

Kevin Pearce’s life takes center stage here, and it’s a wonderfully entrancing life to follow. From his relationship to the previously mentioned White to his relationship with his family (particularly his brother, a beautiful human being who just happens to suffer from Down’s Syndrome) Pearce’s life is painted lushly here by director Walker. The crash itself comes roughly half way through, and what ultimately follows is an unforgettable tale that meshes an inherently interesting human interest tale with a series of powerful themes ranging from a sport that doesn’t give universal healthcare coverage to its athletes to a point poetically made near the film’s conclusion that we as humans are constantly looking for greatness. And not just the idea of greatness. These athletes put their lives on the line daily, as most athletes do, despite the fact that as people become bigger, faster and stronger, and tricks get bigger and more difficult, the likelihood of injury rises exponentially. It’s an intriguing theme rarely mined in today’s world of sports documentary, and when paired with this beautiful story of a young man overcoming the loss of a part of him, a passion, it helps turn this film into something truly great.

Aesthetically, the film is just as unshakeable. With a great and constantly moving soundtrack, the film blends new footage with various bits of archival footage shot throughout Pearce’s life, turning it not only into a great thematic piece, but also a genuinely moving motion picture of a young man’s strive to get back on his snowboard. It’s not a groundbreaking piece of work, nor is it a “new” story being told (fits better as a companion to a film like Head Games from Steve James, or a singular example of what head trauma can become), but it’s a wonderfully potent and emotionally resonant character piece that is energetic, full of palpable vitality and a wondrous pace. A true wonder, this film is.

A moving character portrait in the guise of a frenetic action sports documentary, this is far more than just a look at a young man’s battle with major trauma. An interesting look at various themes and issues plaguing the sports world today, this is a moving and lyrically paced documentary that will be on the top of more than a few best of 2013 lists this winter. I know it is under consideration for this writer’s list.