Hope and Heart In Man In Motion: The Rick Hansen Story
Still from Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story. Photo courtesy of the Calgary International Film Festival.
On Sunday, October 4th, the NaAC Film Ensemble attended the Calgary International Film Festival’s screening of Man in Motion: The Rick Hansen Story (dir. Adrian Buitenhuis). The documentary shares the story of Canadian athlete and advocate Rick Hansen, who successfully completed an international 40,000 km journey in his wheelchair. Presenting rare archival footage in combination with present-day interviews, the film celebrates essential Canadian disability history. Rick’s legacy extends to this day as the Rick Hansen Foundation has raised over $400 million to advance accessibility efforts and spinal cord injury research.
The following are reviews of the film written by filmmakers living with various disabilities:
Kathy M. Austin: I couldn’t find anything wrong with this film, I thought it was incredibly well-done. Contrasted well with Phreaker in the respect that Rick created a support system around him. Yet the movie showed all the barriers and challenges he had to face. Because this movie showed the difficulty in Rick’s life, the realism balanced out the “impossible inspiration” trope of disability. I think there can be a difference in how a person copes whether they were born with the disability or they acquire it. I liked when the filmmakers tried to make Rick cry at the end by showing him footage he had never seen. Stories about people with disabilities are rare so it’s lovely when those experiences are finally shared. Very good movie!
Paul Brain: I think the Man in Motion story about Rick Hansen has been very inspiring. From an idea conceptually coming up together until it became real and true. No one understood and didn’t believe in him until it became larger than life. As artists, we can relate. That's the process of creations and failures, and success always comes very near each other. The most relatable is the love story that was being portrayed. It is the hardest thing that could really come through within the struggle of humanity. Really happy for CIFF bringing this amazing film in front of audiences, when hope is what Canadians need most right now.
Laura LaPeare: I thought the movie was really inspiring, very uplighting. Very heartwarming to watch. It kind of calmed me down a bit, just with what is happening in the world and how people view disabilities. I would also say it inspires me not to give up and inspires me that you can do anything you put your mind to. When I was younger people told me I’d probably never work, and now I have two jobs and I’m doing well. This movie made me feel like I never want to give up in life.
Sachi Morishita: I liked every minute of this film; I rated it 5 stars. No matter if we have different disabilities, we can all relate in the same way to people telling us we can’t do something because of our disabilities. He didn’t listen and it didn’t stop him from completing the process. He kept going and even when he was at his lowest, he talked about Terry Fox and even though it made him sad, but it encouraged him to keep going. I’m glad that the CIFF programmers picked this film to be in the festival so more people can know Rick Hansen’s story. Because this was a documentary, they could get things right. It wasn’t just about himself; he was doing it for a bigger purpose. It was focused more on what he could do, not what he was limited by. It’s important still for wheelchair users to have hope, and this movie gives them that. Never stop fighting the good fight! Just because you are limited, don’t give up.
Alicia Morrison: Awesome, heartwarming, heart-melting! I didn’t like that there was some swearing, but I understood why and it was a strong story. What I loved about the film was that it was very inspiring, and how strong the journey was. It shows that no matter how tough or bumpy the road might be, always keep going. It gave me great inspiration!
Carla Salter: Man in Motion was very well done and it gave me motivation to not give up, despite my disabilities in everyday life that I hide. Because I have a wide variety of disabilities, I can relate to how he felt rejected. But actually, he could do it all. People need to make more movies like this! An uber amount!