Chain of Life: The Rick Boyle Story

Watching this painfully personal documentary feels like being dropped into the middle of someone’s monologue with no idea as to who that individual is or why he or she is sharing intimate confidences. Instead of telling viewers upfront what makes its subject, a 60-ish man named Rick Boyle, an inspiring figure with a story worth knowing, filmmakers David and Kathi Peters’s Chain of Life buries its lead, only revealing in the final minutes how Boyle lifted himself out of a life of misery and self-destruction to help others. Capturing Boyle as he sits and quietly lays out the grim details of his childhood (little love, a profound learning disability, a global feeling of worthlessness), his suicidal tendencies, and his remoteness and controlling ways as a father and husband, the film juxtaposes much of his commentary against footage of a bicycle tour of Ireland that he took with his son and a friend. The answer to what Boyle’s sad background has to do with his vacation eventually becomes obvious, but only after the viewer strains to put things into long-delayed context. Despite these structural problems, Chain of Life does offer a genuine payoff as Boyle’s victory over soul-crushing odds and his focus on service emerge. A strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)