Documentary cinema holds the power to immerse an audience in a new world, conveying powerful emotion and empathy. THE CRASH REEL is an intense, blistering ride through the world of snowboarder Kevin Pearce, and sets an exemplary benchmark for documentary filmmakers to follow.

THE CRASH REEL is not an easy watch, by any means. Focussing on such a distressing incident, Pearce’s near fatal crash in 2009, director Lucy Walker leads the audience through a journey of pain and suffering, where so much promise is laid waste by the smallest of errors on a 22ft wall of snow.

Kevin’s story is not only one of great tragedy but one of love and compassion…

The film mainly comprises archive footage, which tells the story whilst retaining the excitement of the world of snowboarding, and the lifestyle of American action sports stars, for whom the documentation of their lives and sporting progress is instinctive. Walker benefits from a group of subjects who have grown used to being in front of a camera, particularly during the post-accident scenes where their performance is as natural and as raw as it would have been with no camera there at all.

Kevin’s story is not only one of great tragedy but one of love and compassion, portrayed by his family lifestyle, and the attitude of his second snowboarding family who have supported him throughout his ordeal, adding a sense of community to the story. Even with the selection of annotations maybe seeming a little out of place at times, and the interview scenes featuring Shaun White feeling cold and a little informal, Walker has done a fantastic job in grasping such a horrific story and submerging the audience in a world unknown to most.

THE CRASH REEL screens on Sunday 22nd at 1pm. Click here to book tickets.