Steve Gleason ALS Documentary Refuses To ‘Sugarcoat’ Impact Disease Has On Former NFL Player, Family

Gleason, the unflinching documentary about former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason’s battle with ALS, hits theaters July 29, and critics say it can’t be missed.

An early review from Sports Illustrated says the J. Clay Tweel film is “raw, emotional and real,” and The Daily Beast calls it “one of the most powerful, poignant documentaries of the past decade,” comparing it to the fictional Michael Keaton film My Life, where a terminally ill father makes a video diary for his unborn child.

But unlike My Life, Gleason’s story is very real. In September 2006, he became a cult hero in New Orleans after blocking a punt against the Atlanta Falcons in the Saints’ first home game after Hurricane Katrina. The moment was so uplifting to the city that a statue of the block was placed in front of the Louisiana Superdome. However, the iconic play is nothing compared to the grit Gleason demonstrates as he faces ALS.

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that damages nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It progressively destroys a person’s ability to control their muscles, often causing them to lose their ability to move, speak, eat, and breathe. Meanwhile, their cognitive abilities remain intact.

The greatest battle he's ever fought is off the field. The official #GleasonMovie poster is here. pic.twitter.com/q3tQeJRB1a

— Gleason (@GleasonMovie) June 29, 2016

Gleason was diagnosed with ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2011. Just six weeks later, he and his wife, Michel Varisco, found out they were expecting their first child. Faced with both his mortality and the arrival of his son, he decided to tape a video journal of life lessons he might not live to hand down to his child.

Soon, however, Gleason and Varisco realized the scope of the project was bigger than just a diary for their son, whom they named Rivers. It was an important look at the reality of living with ALS.

“It kept getting bigger and bigger,” Varisco tells The Times-Picayune. “Then [we] realized how much footage we had — a real portrayal of a family living with ALS — and we hoped the rawness and realness of that would positively impact people.”

As Gleason’s physical condition declined from ALS, he was joined on the project by Ty Minton-Small and David Lee, two filmmakers who also acted as his caregivers. Together, they produced over 1,300 hours of footage that director Tweel shaped into Gleason.

The resulting documentary is reportedly gut-wrenching and life-changing.

There is nothing stronger than the human spirit. See #GleasonMovie in select theaters July 29th. pic.twitter.com/pDQo7MCFUu

— Gleason (@GleasonMovie) June 9, 2016

The documentary depicts the physical realities of ALS, including enemas, and shows the friction between Gleason and his father over religion. It also shows the stress ALS places on Gleason and Varisco’s marriage. In a scene recounted by Sports Illustrated, Gleason, who has lost his ability to speak, uses a computer to ask Varisco why she has been ignoring him.

“What can I do to be more important to you?” Gleason asks.

Varisco truthfully answers, “I don’t know.”

It’s a raw, painful moment that Varisco insisted be shown for the integrity of the documentary.

“If that scene isn’t in, the movie shouldn’t be made,” she tells the sports outlet. “If you want the real-life story of a family living with ALS, that’s the kind of scene that has to be included.”

In an interview with The Guardian, Varisco says, “I don’t like to sugarcoat anything. If we showed our story, glossed over, it would not be fair to the people who are dealing with this. We had to be as real as we could.”

As tough as parts of Gleason are to watch, Variety says the documentary, which was purchased for distribution by Amazon after this year’s Sundance Film Festival, is “undeniably rewarding” and “a film grown men of any background will not be ashamed to admit moved them to tears.”

One of Gleason’s video messages to Rivers quoted by Sports Illustrated highlights the documentary’s heartbreaking appeal.

“I’ve been thinking about fathers and sons a lot since you’ve been born. At this point, it looks like we’re not going to have the normal father-son relationship. I can’t go out and play catch with you. I can’t throw you batting practice. But I’m going to do everything I can to be a good father, to give you what a son needs from his father. I’m gonna be around, buddy. It’s not gonna be easy, but it’s gonna be awesome.”

[Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images]