Educational Media Reviews Online

On his way to securing a spot on the 2010 Olympic Team, snowboarder Kevin Pearce suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI) during a devastating fall at a training run in Park City, Utah. Film director Lucy Walker deftly captures Kevin’s story and melds it seamlessly into a call for attention to all the typically unseen aspects surrounding TBI.

Using a daily countdown to the 2010 Olympics as background, Walker gives us a peek into the professional snowboarding culture—the fun, the friendships, the drive and competitiveness of the athletes. Kevin Pearce soon rises above his comrades, and when he recovers from a minor foot injury he is more determined than ever to be the best. His friendly rivalry with gold medalist Shaun White soon develops an added layer of tension, both athletes consumed with being the best—fueling both their competitive spirits.

The horror of Kevin’s accident on the Utah training run shocks everyone. His close-knit family and friends soon realize the long haul of recovery ahead for Kevin…and for them. Somehow, Walker manages to take the audience from the thrill of anticipating the Olympic games to a place of raw emotions, fear, and ultimately strength as Kevin heals, making his way through hospital stays and rehabilitation. Two years later, despite the opinions of his doctors, his friends and especially his family, all Kevin wants to do is get back to snowboarding. Nothing can persuade him to do otherwise. When he does get back on the board for a while, he soon realizes he has limitations and comes to an acceptance that his life has changed, he will no longer be able to snowboard, and things will be different—not necessarily bad, but different.

The directors and producers of The Crash Reel have created a superb multifaceted film that is an unflinching look TBI. So many of the issues surrounding traumatic brain injury, professional sports, family relationships, parenting, competition, and our sports-hyped culture surface in this film. Part of the respected HBO family of films, the production values are first-rate, as one would expect. The Crash Reel (which is a perfect title since Kevin’s crash leaves everyone reeling from its aftermath) is highly recommended for library collections supporting the health sciences, particularly neurological and rehabilitation sciences, and those collections in sports and sports medicine. It is way too long for classroom use in one viewing, but nevertheless is a valuable film for students in those disciplines to watch. Public libraries will also want to add this to their collections. While audiences aged middle school to adult will enjoy it, note that there are a couple of instances of foul language.