what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Blistering performances.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

All the synopses of this movie stress the rivalry between Shaun White and Kevin Pearce but I felt this documentary had very little to do with White (and the actual "rivalry" seemed very one sided). The footage (quality and volume) is admirable, but I wish the narrative was a little more focused. Is it a documentary about Kevin's struggle? Or about the snowboarding community? Or about the danger of extreme sports? If it's trying to be all three, I really wish they pointed the lens at the real culprit: events like the X-Games that celebrate and instigate athletes to do bigger, faster and more dangerous tricks in pursuit of glory. I appreciated the patience of this documentary, compiling footage over 4 years to follow Kevin's personal arc from desperate to return to what he believes makes him whole, to an understanding that he is not (and never will be) the person he was before the accident. He's an endearing protagonist, so this was a very watchable film.

It is with no doubt one of the most controversial stories in snowboarding for the past decade. Kevin Pearce's crash marks a sad milestone in the quest for higher, bigger and more spectacular jumps. It's already here where the documentary does not quite know which red line to follow: KP or the dangers in snowboarding? For now we follow Kevin's development and his rivalry with Shaun White and it's already at this point where it becomes obvious in what corner White is put.I must admit that I am not the biggest White fan and treasure KP a lot more but at some points it becomes ridiculous that the only thing that obviously matters is to beat Shaun. Kevin has brought much more to the table than just tricks and fortunately the makers decided to show some of it too.As soon as we get to the crash the film becomes very loose, not quite sure if it's a reality soap like Metallica's "Some Kind Of Monster" or a warning campaign against the risks of actions sports. The VERY intimate conversations with his family and therapists are interesting to watch, especially if you keep in mind that KP had to learn EVERYTHING anew, not just walking - particularly social skills as well. And that's where it gets ugly in my opinion. I was always wondering "WHY is there a camera present in this very room at this very conversation?" In a situation like this I would not want any public participation at this point. Still the film digs into very intimate details and presents them quite shamelessly.I think the most important part of the film is Kevin stating that he wants to go back on his board immediately although each and everyone around him tells him otherwise. Because he still needed to learn so much he was obviously going through a phase of selfishness that usually a four-year-old would go through. By doing so he severely hurts his loved ones and literally puts his life on the line again.This raises the following questions for me: - Was Kevin actually REALLY aware of what he got himself into here? - Even if there is so much love and understanding, why did his family agree on letting the makers dig that deep? - What is the actual conclusion of this film? On one hand we got Kev desperately wanting and getting back on his board but at the same time we see the tragic fates of other athletes. - Shaun White may be faceless, spoiled and egotistic but that's just the way HE pursues. So why the vilification?One true gem of the film is his disabled brother who is as honest as one could be. He is one of the few constants in the film who actually take part in convincing KP not to ride competitively anymore. Although as simple as his mind might appear he is the true pole of sanity.The Crash Reel is a very ambitious film about the risks of action sports and one athlete who was somehow lucky. Still, I somehow don't feel quite satisfied which the direction the film was taking and I also don't understand why the Pearce's allowed the makers to be present at such intimate conversations.

I saw the The Crash Reel several days ago after its debut on HBO. It has resonated with me ever since -- mostly because of the story and the humanity of its protagonist, the World Class snowboarder Kevin Pearce -- but also because of the exquisite soundtrack that director Lucy Walker utilized to fuse this very emotional subject to the viewer's experience.Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a silent and insidious condition. The difficulty of documentaries such as this is that they tend to portray the victims in as positive a light as possible, with the most optimistic of outcomes. The sad truth of many survivors is that their lives are extremely difficult as they work inordinately hard to maintain just a fraction of the life they used to live. The documentary only hints at these lingering deficits, and it is impossible to know the truth of where Mr. Pearce presently stands in his recovery. I would muster to guess that his life is much more restrictive and frustrating than the movie suggests. This is the primary reason for my less than perfect rating. I would have preferred a more honest assessment of Mr. Pearce's functionality post-injury instead of what I viewed as an unnecessary, though human, detour into the struggles of one of his brothers with Down Syndrome.

Absolutely loved this film! I randomly turned it on (on HBO) and was immediately interested, even though I don't know much about snowboarding. It was interesting to learn about competitive snowboarding & how dangerous it is. Clearly there needs to be more regulations in extreme sports- and at the very very least competitors should be covered under their sponsors, the venues or the media's (who's covering them) insurance. I was so glad to hear Kevin's sponsors stuck with him thru out his ordeal.I feel in love with the Pierce family who are so loving!Best of luck to you KP in whatever you choose to do now!