3MF

Murderball

I saw the movie Murderball this weekend. It's yet another documentary that follows athletes as they try to achieve national recognition. This time the sport is wheelchair rugby. Unlike movies such as Spellbound and Word Wars where most of the amusement comes from the absurdity of the competition and the participants, this movie takes seriously the sport of quad rugby. The game is played with two teams of four quadriplegic participants of varying ability. They move around in especially armored wheelchairs to get control of a ball and take it passed a goal line before a competitor can smash the ball out of their hands. The story of the team's attempt at gold in the Athens Paralympic Games is broken up with accounts from each of the team members on how they wound up in their chair. It's an eye-opening glimpse into the lives of those with disabilities that doesn't try to elicit pity, but rather tries to earn your respect. I strongly recommend you see it.