Directed by: Christopher Burke
Starring: Brian Wallach, Sandra Abrevaya, Juan Reyes, Gwen Petersen, Dan Tate Jr., Nicole Cimbura, and President Barack Obama,
Runtime: 82 minutes
‘For Love & Life: No Ordinary Campaign’: This personal documentary urgently searches for ALS answers
Director Christopher Burke’s documentary – about Brian Wallach’s ALS (or Lou Gehrig’s disease) story - offers several numbers: 37, 100 million, 96 to 1, 1 out of 300, 0, and more.
Brian is diagnosed with ALS at 37 years old in 2017.
This Washington, D.C. lawyer and former New Hampshire political director for President Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign, along with his wife, Sandra Abrevaya (the New Hampshire communications director for the same campaign), seek to secure 100 million dollars in annual ALS funding.
This review will not reveal the 96 to 1 figure.
One out of every 300 Americans will be diagnosed with ALS – or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - in their lifetime.
For many – including this critic – this statistic is exceedingly shocking, mainly because the commonly-held perception is that ALS is a rare disease.
It is not, and a cure and a measurable survival rate do not exist.
The survival rate is 0.
“For Love & Life: No Ordinary Campaign” includes many facts and figures, but this personal, intimate documentary largely places ALS’s human costs on the screen. Burke’s camera faces Brian and Sandra’s journey in heartbreaking and inspiring fashions.
The film only runs 82 minutes, but it finds enough time – through several interviews, confessionals, and B-roll – to capture ALS’s sinister grip on Brian’s physical condition. His mobility and speech are severely compromised, and his slight, athletic build – comparable to a marathon runner - methodically withers into a fragile state. It’s awfully difficult to see Brian’s decline. Still, the troubling outcomes aren’t surprising to those familiar with ALS or who watched “Gleason” (2016), an emotionally absorbing doc that chronicles New Orleans Saints defensive back Steve Gleason’s regression due to the disease.
Still, the aforementioned previous knowledge doesn’t lessen our sympathy for Brian and Sandra, an attractive, successful all-American couple. As Brian’s facilities change and his frame becomes thinner, so does Sandra’s patience in getting medical help for her husband.
The film presents several messages about the disease, but the one it communicates most effectively is that time is Brian and Sandra’s enemy.
With just six months to five years of projected life left for those diagnosed with ALS, there is not a moment to waste to receive disability benefits, medical assistance, and the chance to participate in rare clinical trials. Not only does the audience watch ALS heartlessly squeeze Brian, but Burke includes others with Lou Gehrig’s, including Juan Reyes, Gwen Petersen, Dan Tate Jr., and Nicole Cimbura. Nicole doesn’t have the disease, but she recounts her late husband, Mike, and his horrible experience. Nicole’s children also offer their memories of their father, and the stark contrast – through many photos - between the man’s pre and post-ALS diagnosis is an utter horror show.
What stops “No Ordinary Campaign” from becoming a nightmarish cinematic encounter is Brian and Sandra’s perseverance in hoping to drive legislative change in Washington, D.C. Ordinarily, this task would feel impossible, especially during these partisan times. However, the devoted couple are persuasive and work in powerful governmental orbits, and Burke films during Brian’s planning sessions and Capitol Hill hearings as well as other individual interviews and appearances, including one with a former U.S. president and a couple of surprises.
Even though Brian, Sandra, Juan, Gwen, and Dan stare into the abyss, the documentary offers some hope, including medical treatment that can make a difference, which until very recently was not a possibility.
Admittedly, when following Brian and Sandra on their financial crusade during the first 45 to 60 minutes, “No Ordinary Campaign” sometimes feels like a public relations event, but the personal human toil on the couple recedes these potential PR thoughts during the last 30 minutes or so.
What doesn’t retreat are thoughts of Brian, Sandra, and so many others after the end credits roll.
Jeff’s ranking
2.5/4 stars
