Emmanuel's Gift

It sounds like something we've seen a million times before—athlete overcomes hardship to emerge triumphant, inspiring those around him—but the story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah of Ghana, presented in the Oprah Winfrey-narrated documentary Emmanuel's Gift, is made all the more poignant because directors Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern refuse to pander to easy sentiment or place Yeboah on a superhuman pedestal. Born into a traditional culture that views disability as a sign of familial shame, Yeboah was already pushing himself athletically before his withered leg was replaced by a high-tech prosthetic thanks to the intervention of a charity organization dedicated to helping the disabled in sports. But he really took off, literally and figuratively, during a bike ride across Ghana with his new leg that helped change the nation's image of the handicapped. Powerful and moving, this is a sports documentary for the whole family to enjoy. Recommended. (M. Johanson)