Human has to come to terms with their own mortality, but for those diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), that existential dilemma becomes terrifyingly real. ALS is a degenerative neural disorder that attacks motor neurons and the ability to control muscles throughout the body. Few diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, live five years past the onset of initial symptoms. With no definitive cure or even a good understanding of what causes the disease, the diagnosed and their loved ones endure dead-end doctor visits, hopes for remedies and the pain of uncertainty of their own lives.
An award winner at a series of smaller film festivals, including our own Wisconsin Film Festival, Indestructible"" is one family's attempt to bring this pain and uncertainty to the public eye. Ben Byer, diagnosed with ALS six years ago, took it upon himself to chronicle how he and his family dealt with his condition, from researching and understanding it to seeking potential cures and hope in various locales around the globe.
Editor Tim Baron, speaking at the film's theatrical debut in Madison, described his role as ""making the different scenes from Byer's travels fit into his overall journey,"" and he delivered on his promise in spades. Interviews with experts and doctors offering potential cures are aligned with beautiful shots of Byer in spinning prayer wheels in Chinese temples and climbing the ruins of Hebrew fortresses. His travels always return home, where we see Byer's most joyful moments - ogoofing around with his three-year-old son John.
It's not a perfect film - at one point, Byer undergoes a surgery in Beijing to implant stem cells into his failing nervous system. Byer's father Stephen notes the potential ethical issues Americans could have with this treatment, but the film seems to dance around the topic instead of offering any substantial discussion of the issues at stake.
Perhaps the filmmakers are conflicted themselves. Following the surgery, a scene with Byer's father and sister fighting about his support for the procedure devolves into a shouting match that fades to black. Experts weigh in on the lack of reliable treatments for ALS, but few present any real advice on the best courses of action for those suffering from the disease. One sadly notes: ""There aren't a whole lot of new ideas in this field."" The whole debate comes off as an argument with no resolution, which is probably the point.
Rather than advocate a solution, Byer and his crew instead succeed admirably in putting a human face on his disease. He states simply, ""Human beings are amazing in their capacity to adjust."" He puts this process of adjustment up on the screen - we see him playing gleefully with his young son in the snow or goofing around with his brother, and its only tragic because it can't last forever.
The subtext of criticism of modern medicine may be spotty at times, but this tale demonstrates the power of the human spirit to endure.
