"Murderball"

The film Murderball focuses on the life events, rehabilitation and recreation of 

quadriplegics and forces common issues, ideas and misconceptions of ability and disability into an uncharted landscape of intellect and new understanding. Wheelchair rugby, formerly known as "Murderball" is essentially indoor rugby played on a regulation size basketball court by quadriplegics in reinforced, all metal wheelchairs. The underlying focus of the film is a heated rivalry between Canada's and the USA's rugby teams, not only because both teams are equally talented but also because a former USA player, Joe Soares, is now coaching the Canadian team. Scenes in the film portraying the actual game in play are accented with the team's fervent shouts and intense heavy metal music which serves to emphasize the aggressive competitiveness felt by both teams. Many of the quadriplegics who participate in this activity do so with such zeal due to the fact that they feel as though they need to regain some sense of masculinity that was lost through the event of their disablement. The majority of the players on team USA had been active in some form of physical recreation prior to their disablement, some became disabled as a direct result of these competitive endeavors. A significant message communicated through this film is that a man's masculinity is not compromised or defined by his ability or disability. One thing I did notice throughout the film was that all quad rugby players, not only Americans, seemed to project a heightened sense of masculinity that had been self/peer constructed, which the film did not really attempt to analyze, deconstruct or understand. The form in which this documentary was produced really served to dramatize and accentuate the reality of these men's lives and the strength they exert in every aspect of their lives.