Filmmakers Jeanne Jordan and Steven Ascher, creators of the Academy Award-nominated 1995 documentary Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern, helmed this engaging portrait of Stephen Heywood, who was diagnosed at the age of 29 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease). So Much So Fast, which played at the Sundance Film Festival and has been broadcast on PBS' Frontline series, follows Heywood over five years, as he marries, becomes a father, and builds two houses—all while his health continues to deteriorate to the point that he is completely incapable of caring for himself. Running parallel to Heywood's story is a chronicle of the efforts of his older brother Jamie to create a foundation that will provide further financing for research aimed at finding a cure for ALS (the film argues that drug companies are not interested in aggressively pursuing a cure). Watching the self-sufficient young Heywood literally waste away is terribly painful, yet witnessing the level of support provided by his loved ones offers an extraordinary example of courage and inspiration. DVD extras include deleted scenes and original uncensored audio (which confirms that even the strongest of people cannot always bring a stiff upper lip to the unfair burdens that life dumps on them). A paradoxically heartbreaking and empowering documentary, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
So Much So Fast
(2007) 87 min. DVD: $29.95. Passion River (avail. from most distributors). PPR. Volume 23, Issue 6
So Much So Fast
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