Cinerant

Kill It!

I don’t know when I fell completely in love with Murderball.  Maybe it was when the subjects of this documentary were reenacting scenes from Ocean’s Eleven or when the horribly cheesy instructional video on wheelchair sex came on.  Wherever it was, by the time the climactic showdown happened, I was hooked.

Murderball is a documentary, now out on DVD, about the men’s U.S. quadriplegic rugby team.  While it’s first and foremost a sports documentary about the players preparing for the Paralympics, the heart of the documentary (like Spellbound and Mad Hot Ballroom) is about the individuals—their hopes, their fears, and their anxieties.

This documentary isn’t revelatory like this year’s other great documentary, Twist of Faith, but unlike March of the Penguins and Grizzly Man, Murderball is inspiring.  But one of the things that makes it superior to Mad Hot Ballroom is the rough edge to the individuals it covers, in addition to its willingness not to take itself to seriously.  (If you doubt it, check out the special features on the DVD and see the inclusion of Jackass footage.)

Sure, it’s got some language and discussion of sex, but this one is definitely worth checking out.

posted by cinegod @ 8:19 AM