By John Corrado

I’ve been wanting to say this for awhile now, and am thrilled to finally be able to share the news that Lucy Walker’s stunning documentary The Crash Reel opens today at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto.  I’ve been championing this one since first seeing it at Hot Docs back in May, and devoted an entire article to singing the praises of the film when it premiered on HBO in July.

Now the time has finally come for audiences see The Crash Reel on the big screen, and I couldn’t recommend it more highly.  The film opens a few months before the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, as champion snowboarder Kevin Pearce is training to make the team.  But then tragedy strikes when he suffers a dangerous fall, and we are taken back in time to see his rise to fame, before witnessing his journey into and new life with a disability.

This has been an excellent year for documentaries, and The Crash Reel is the crowning achievement among them, having made the final shortlist for a nomination at the Oscars.  This is an incredibly well crafted film that touches on the dangers of extreme sports while offering a powerful message about self acceptance, before ending on a note that is so powerful and emotionally affecting that I literally haven’t stopped thinking about the words that are said since I first saw the film.

The entire team behind The Crash Reel has done an excellent job of advertising the film across social media, with the Love Your Brain campaign raising awareness of acquired brain injury, and this is a documentary that absolutely deserves all of the attention it can get.  As I first said during Hot Docs, see this movie.  Exhilarating, moving and inspirational, The Crash Reel is everything that a great film should be, and one of the best things I’ve seen all year.

You can get more information on the film and purchase tickets right here.