Murderball (on DVD)

In recent years, documentaries have provided us some most interesting subjects. 2005’s Murderball is another shining example. The movie is about a group of quadriplegics who compete in wheelchair rugby games. Once again, it proves that real life can be far more fascinating than most Hollywood scriptwriters could have ever imagined. This movie gives a glimpse of a world that few of us know much about and presents us a body of complex and genuine characters. As in everyday life, the plot is totally unpredictable. The main players that the movie follows closely easily resonate with the audience because they are inspiring yet flawed just like everyone else. However, there are a few scenes that appear deliberately orchestrated by the filmmakers rather than simple coincidence. There are also a few fast-paced and dizzying edit tricks in the movie so that the audience will not get bored with the story. In my opinion, this is the biggest problem with current documentaries. The filmmakers or maybe the production companies (in this case, MTV is one of the producers) don’t seem to trust people will stay awake for any documentaries. They have to use MTV style of quick cuts to keep people interested. The result is usually just the opposite. It ruins the pace of a good story and serves only as a complete distraction. It reminds me of Winona Ryder’s character in Reality Bites. Her documentary about her fellow Gen-Xers was completely butchered by an MTVish channel in order to keep their viewers’ focus. Those Hollywood executives just don’t get it! In Murderball’s case, the MTV damage is minimal and the movie is definitely one of the best documentaries in 2005.