Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down
There are plenty of times over the past decade that should have been the end of debating for gun control. Most people rightly discuss Sandy Hook, but really, shouldn’t it have been the assassination attempt on Rep. Gabby Giffords in January 2011, which left six dead- including a federal judge- and Giffords with significant brain damage and mobility issues? I mean, if people from both sides of the aisle cannot come together and understand that more is needed to curb gun violence when one of their own is almost killed, what will do it? This review isn’t about examining our failure to pass significant gun control, however, but it’s impossible not to think about it while watching this documentary from directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West, especially since their film is about what has happened in Giffords’s life in the intervening decade, with gun control advocacy become a fundamental part of her life now.
I had not really heard of Rep. Giffords before the January 2011 shooting that almost took life, but seeing footage of her before the shooting, and you can see that she was very much on her way to being one of our most substantial Democratic politicians for her ability to appeal to people in a state as diverse as Arizona. The shooting didn’t just impact her political career, though, but her personal life. The bullet went through her brain, causing not only significant damage to her ability to communicate, but leaving a lot of her right side paralyzed. A lot of the first third of the film shows us video her husband, former astronaut (and current Senator) Mark Kelly took while she was in the hospital and rehab, and it’s heartbreaking to watch. Even knowing that she survived, it’s hard to watch her struggle to not just speak, but give Kelly a thumbs up. Her condition includes aphasia, a neurological disorder that impacts the ability to communicate- even if the brain has specific words, the impulse to speak them doesn’t always move directly to the mouth. We see her recovery, her painful realization that she can no longer serve as an elected official, but also how that transitions to Mark while she becomes an advocate for gun control.
Gifford’s story is emotional and inspiring, the way that she’s been able to fight back from near death. A big part of what I admire about this film is how it isn’t just about her, but Mark Kelly’s journey is equally important to this story, as well. He was slated for his final shuttle mission while Gifford was in recovery, and was in space as she was having vital surgery to help stabilize her skull, which she lost a large chunk of because of the shooting, and subsequent surgeries. This is as much a love story as a story of perseverance, as well as- through telling it- a film that advocates for more positive discussion on guns, as well as a glimpse of how much of a challenge the debate is right now. I feel like I know more about her after having seen this.
