|
Ami Ankilewitz suffers from a rare form of muscular dystrophy that has wasted his body away to a mere 39 pounds and limited his mobility down to a single finger on his left hand. Despite these physical challenges, Ami has a strong will to live and beat the odds, surpassing the doctor’s prediction that he wouldn’t live past the age of 6.
At 34, Ami works in Israel as a 3D animator, but his dream is to drive
across America, ride on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and look up the doctor
who told his mother he would never grow up (although his reason for wanting
this meeting is not really clear). This documentary follows Ami and his
best friend and caretaker, Asaf, as they set out to make Ami’s dreams come
true.
Ami talks candidly about his unrequited love for his former caretaker, Christina, and even creates an animated story to represent that relationship and his journey – it’s makes a nice companion piece to his own story. When he stops to visit with his estranged brother, Oscar, you get more of a sense of what it’s been like for Ami and his family, but the documentary focuses more on Ami’s journey than on Ami, the man.
This material could have been a real downer, but Ami’s humor and his determination keep the documentary from getting too heavy. The one drawback is Ami’s obsession with finding this doctor - you think he’s going to confront the old guy the way he constantly talks about this meeting (to the point of being a distraction), but nothing happens the way you expect it will (just like life).
Home
|
