Travis Freeman is a star player for his High School American Football team, everything in his life has been about playing football. But everything is about to change when an illness costs him his sight and he must adapt to a new life of being blind.
The film is difficult to watch at times as we see the struggle Travis has in adapting to his new form of life and having to miss everything he was used to. Especially with his football and being unable to influence his best friend Jerry and prevent him from going down the wrong paths.
Coach Farris is facing a more difficult job without his star player and wanting to make the playoffs, which might just save his job. He actually comes up with a pretty crazy idea that Travis will play again, but learn a new position in order to help the team. Doesn’t seem the safest sport for someone who is blind to play due to the tackling and impact that he wouldn’t be able to see coming at all. I found the training scenes to be very interesting in showing how it was built up and how he had to relearn the game he loved as well as being able to move around his school.
His parents were struggling with it as well and did not really know how it was best to help their son when they were as devastated as he was at the sudden change. I mean would that really happen with an infection? Would it not have taken longer to diagnose and then have the surgery? It all just seemed extremely quick and not very believable, although it is based on a true story so maybe it did happen like that.
I had never heard of this film until seeing it on Netflix UK, I will pretty much give any sports film a watch as they usually do have something good about them in terms of how a sport can really help and save someone. How a team can unite together and help someone when they really need it. As well as great coach who will do anything for their players/athletes.
I wouldn’t really say it contains any standout performances or anything like that though, it moves at an ok pace and is watchable. Thinking about how a life can suddenly be changed and what you must do it survive and adapt to that. The main problem is how Travis Freeman is and always has been seen as being better than everyone else and that is the reason he will “get through” this latest set back in his life. I didn’t really think that carried the best message across. It was something that was said and repeated quite a few times over the course of the film both before and after the incident which left the young man blind. Maybe it would have been more powerful and had more impact if it had gone in a slightly different direction.
