Genuinely really lovely, warm, uplifting film.
I’m not a sports fan, a football fan, a cycling fan. So you might not expect me to go in for a film about football fans cycling to Germany to see Scotland play in the Euros. I wouldn’t expect it from myself, but this film just transcends all of that, because it is about the warmth and positivity of this young boy, the friends that go with him on this journey, and the people from all over who give him their support. If you just want a feel-good movie, this is for you.
The film follows Ethan Walker, an eighteen year old, who had trained his whole life to be a footballer. Just as things seemed to start taking off for him, and he’s playing in the States, he’s hit by a car, sustaining life threatening injuries. Now if you read the synopsis, it just says serious injury, but when you see the state of him, it’s a wonder he’s alive. He was a hair’s breadth from death. He had two brain bleeds, he couldn’t swallow on his own, he couldn’t talk, his wrist was broken, his pelvis fractured, his knee was wrecked. Like, the collision shattered the bones you need to stand, and he had a very serious brain injury.
That was September. In June he decided to cycle to Germany.
I was a bit worried going into it, that the film would be a bit smaltzy. I don’t think anybody was more worried about that than Ethan, because the film shows him as a real down-to-earth guy, who, to be honest, is a bit uncomfortable getting attention, even if he appreciates the support. Whenever he gets congratulated on his remarkable recovery, or even just the literal fact he’s cycling 1200km, he defaults to that Scottish man mumbling self-deprecation. He doesn’t think it’s a big deal. He’s be mortified by smaltz.
Lucky then that the movie is just bang-on, a road trip with plenty of humour and camaraderie. Not a smidge of smaltz in sight.
Give this film a try, even if you think it’s not your thing, because it really is just a lovely watch.