Rising From Ashes

Shot over a period of six years by filmmaker T.C. Johnstone, Rising From Ashes—narrated by Forest Whitaker—follows the fortunes of several young Rwandan men who are gradually transformed into a team of competitive cyclists vying for a spot at the 2012 Olympics. Reaching out for that improbable goal entails a long and arduous process that demands not only discipline and determination, but also coming to terms with a haunting, bloody past, since these racers are survivors of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda that resulted in a million gruesome deaths in a matter of weeks. The group is composed of individuals who once would have been enemies, making reconciliation an important theme here. Equally stirring is the theme of redemption, particularly as it relates to cycling legend Jock Boyer, the first American to compete in the Tour de France. Derailed by a crime (lewd behavior with a minor) that sent him to prison in the mid-2000s, Boyer was offered the opportunity to reinvent himself in Rwanda, where he coaches the cyclists to push past pain in order to become world-class competitors. The healing implications of Boyer's strategy are not lost on the athletes, one of whom says that suffering for a good cause is a new and liberating experience. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)