39 Pounds of Love Reviews

Weighing in at a mere 39 pounds, Texas-born, Israel-bred Ami Ankilewitz isn't exactly a paragon of physical strength. Ami suffers from a rare form of spinal muscular atrophy known as SMA-2 that has left his arms and legs paralyzed and virtually useless; when he was first diagnosed with the disease as a baby, the Texas doctor told his mother that Ami probably wouldn't live past the age of six. Against all odds, however, Ami has managed to survive well into his 30s, and even though he's only able to move a single finger on his left hand, Ami uses that finger to create startlingly accomplished 3-D computer animations, many of which feature a romantic, high-flying bird that bears a striking resemblance to its creator. Ami, as this wonderful documentary from filmmaker Dani Menkin soon reveals, really is the very picture of strength, albeit not in the traditional sense. Not long after Menkin first encountered the 33-year-old Ami in a rowdy Tel Aviv bar (he initially mistook him for a doll), Ami announced to his stunned family that he was about to embark on an exciting adventure: He and his best friend, Asaf, were going to fly to California and drive across the United States. Knowing that such a strenuous journey could literally kill Ami, his mother strongly objects, but Ami insists that it's something he simply must do; For him, crossing the U.S. is akin to an able-bodied person climbing Everest. Besides, Ami as two very compelling reasons to leave Israel for a while and visit the States. He's still hurting over his unrequited love for Christina, his pretty Romanian caregiver who finally had to leave him after admitting they could never be more than just friends. Ami also really wants to pay a visit to that Texas doctor who once told his mother that Ami would never survive, and let him know just how wrong he was. Menkin and his small crew follow Ami and Asaf from Tel Aviv to LAX, and as they slowly make their way through the southwest, Menkin cleverly uses Ami's own animation to tell part of his story. The rest unfolds through Menkin's lens: Ami nearly dies at the sight of the Grand Canyon, has a surprise reunion with his estranged brother and, while the doctor proves a bit more elusive that expected, Ami does get a shot at fulfilling another life-long dream: taking a ride on a Harley-Davidson. Aside from the overbearing soundtrack, the film is mercifully unsentimental and Ami himself can be quite droll. Throughout, he displays a fortitude that's nothing short of heroic, while a certain amount of bitterness over the hands that life and love have dealt him remind us that he's entirely human.