HBO Documentary Review: “Any One Of Us”

Users gave it an 80%

Rated: TV-PG with run time of 1 hr, 27 mins with an IMDb of 8.4/10.

Through the inspiring journey of a recovering athlete, Any One of Us offers an unprecedented glimpse into the world of spinal cord injuries.

Let me say from the start this documentaries main messages is a spinal-cord injury could happen to anyone. I know what your are thinking - why would I want to watch this?. Well Any One of Us serves as a vivid reminder that we too often take our mobility for granted.

It’s not every day we have the opportunity to watch a human rebuild their lives. I assure you this film with give you perspective on life. I for one found this extremely interesting and very moving. Sometimes we all need a dose of reality to remind us how lucky we are in life.

The narrative of Any One of Us follows the fallout of Paul’s injury over two years. The first half was actually filmed by Paul himself, who has some videography background and had the remarkable prescience to turn the camera on himself, almost from day one. But first-time director Fernando Villena uses a unique filmmaking technique to powerful effect: introducing an additional group of 17 other people who share their experiences with SCI throughout the documentary.

At the moment of Paul’s injury, which was recorded not only by Rampage’s live broadcast but also on Paul’s own GoPro, additional individuals highlighted in this film chime in with their own stories of the incidents that left them in wheelchairs: Caught by a wave while surfing. Botched epidural. BMX crash. Car accident. Knocked over while playing basketball.

HBO does it again with an extraordinary look into the world of those who suffered a depilating injury and continue to deal with restrictions as a result!

Outside of HBO/HBO GO, I believe you can find it on Amazon Prime. This is well worth the time spent watching. It will truly make you think differently about the world of those with wheelchair bound injuries.