Higgledy-piggledy video documentary on the Paralympic sport of wheelchair rugby, a/k/a quadriplegic rugby, a/k/a murderball. We don't learn much about the sport itself (basic rules of play, coaching strategies, etc.), and the game footage doesn't give us much feel for the flow of the action. It's just score, score, score: a highlight reel. But then again, this is more a human story than a sports story, and we learn a lot about the people: their personal histories, the rehab process, sexuality, and above all the fierce rivalry between the U.S. national team and the Canadian, coached by a disaffected former American star by the name of Joe Soares ("How does it feel to betray your country, man?"), who will suffer a heart attack in preparation for the Athens games, only a temporary setback. There are moments of such touching intimacy — Soares's unathletic viola-playing son brightening up when his father arrives late to a school concert, or the consoling of players by their wives and girlfriends after a big loss — that you must struggle not to avert your eyes. Co-directed by Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro. (2005) — Duncan Shepherd
This movie is not currently in theaters.