Murderball - a game for life (Murderball)

Production and year: USA, 2005 Genre: documentary Directed by: Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro Music: Jamie Saft Medical topic: quadriplegia, sexual function after spinal cord injury Description: The film tells the story of men who—due to various types of accidents and cervical spine injuries—have become quadriplegics. However, these are not people who have since shut themselves away in their homes and avoid contact with others; this was true only for some of them, and only shortly after the accident. They are full-fledged athletes who play a fast-paced and spectacular contact sport: wheelchair rugby, also known as quad (from the word quadriplegia) rugby, and popularly called murderball. The film’s main focus is the rivalry in these competitions between the national teams: the U.S., which has won every tournament so far, and Canada. We learn, one by one, the stories of the American players—their tragedy and their struggle to regain as much mobility as possible—as well as their daily lives, problems, and emotions. Each of their stories is incredibly compelling, and their perspectives are remarkably mature, despite their often young age. On the other hand, we learn the story of an older player, Joe Soares, the greatest in the history of wheelchair rugby, who was not selected for the national team’s next training camp and decided to take revenge by becoming the coach of the Canadian team. Despite his great contributions to the United States, he is seen as a traitor who is trying to snatch the gold medal from his compatriots in upcoming tournaments. The World Championships are just a taste of the real excitement, as everyone is preparing for the most important sporting event for them: the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. Who will take first place? The film also addresses the issue of the sexual lives of quadriplegics, highlighting it as an extremely important and crucial aspect of rehabilitation, since functioning in this area of life restores confidence and the will to lead an active social life to people after an accident, which aids in therapy. It must be admitted that this film, despite being a documentary, is highly engaging and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. In each interview, you can sense a tremendous competitive spirit; the athletes emphasize that for them, simply competing isn’t what matters—they don’t view it as some kind of success. For them, only gold counts.