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WATCH OVER ME

Documentary - Production 2022

Michael is a Russian immigrant, who is a national Slalom G champion in the US. He trains every day, follows healthy practices and visits his friends and family back home once a year. Michael believes he will live for 400 years. He is also legally blind.

- Year of production
- 2022
- Genres
- Documentary
- Countries
- USA
- Languages
- ENGLISH, RUSSIAN
- Budget
- 0 - 0.3 M$
- Duration
- 60 mn
- Synopsis
- We meet 59-year-old Michael as he trains around Brighton Beach following an everyday path he has chosen for his rollerblading. He is dressed in bright colors; he is very self-confident about where he is going. He is strong and fit. Yet, there is something about his movements that throws you off.
  We see him with his family in St. Petersburg, Russia where they reminisce about growing their children with his wife Maya in the Soviet projects. His wife says every time he comes visiting is like a honeymoon all over. They talk about the past championships. There are trophies all over the apartment; they are used to hold candy or flowers.
  After a quick cup of tea, his 35-year-old son goes home to his family. A patient arrives. Michael massages and diagnoses the patient simultaneously. He ridicules the diagnoses the patient received from a private clinic. Michael’s wife is a therapist too, yet she only works with children with disabilities.
  Michael exercises in a park among people with children and dogs. He goes to the bathhouse to meet friends; all are sportsmen in their late 50s, early 60’s. They all are in good shape, except most of them are blind. They tell us what they see and how they dream. We learn, Michael is legally blind as well. And so is his wife.
  In the bathhouse we learn they are all part of the group called Achilles – sports division of the Society of the Blind. The club Achilles is struggling to survive, and it’s only due to the old members that there is any management whatsoever. We meet a few people who are not blind: Michael’s old skiing leader Dmitriy and Maya’s skiing leader Sergey who lost his legs, yet he never gave up slalom.
  Back in New York we meet Michael’s new leader Richard, a volunteer. They ski in a pair, and we now understand how that works. Richard talks of the technicalities and difficulties of sports for disabled. Michael’s English is not perfect, yet there is a strong need of communication here. Also, the two need to raise funds to travel, buy gear and pay trainers themselves. It’s not an easy endeavor. Michael and Richard are getting on the plane to attend the National Championship in Colorado.
  Back at his home, Michael says that back in the day he was denied presence at the Vancouver Olympics by the Soviet sports committee. His wife was put into the grid instead, but she did not qualify. Still, the family looks back at the old days as happy days. They look forward to great things. Michael wants to partake in the next Paralympics.
  Michael exercises in the center of Saint Petersburg with beautiful architecture as a backdrop. He speaks of his philosophy. He feels sorry that some of his friends undertook a surgery; they will never be able to heal with his method. Michael says he adores the mankind and the human spirit. His disability indirectly made him the happy man he has become.
  Michael and Richard return from Colorado championship with gold medals.
  A triathlon is coming up. Time to train. Will his team win?