This is the title of the second documentary I promised I would review. David Holmes was the main stunt double for Daniel Radcliffe, who portrayed the title character in the Harry Potter film series. Holmes was gravely injured in a stunt accident during the penultimate film, and is now paralyzed from the waist down.

I was drawn to this by an Atlantic article about Radcliffe, who wanted to direct this documentary himself originally but decided he was too close to Holmes to do it properly. Ratcliffe seems to be a very centered person, which may owe something to his parents, who were careful to maintain reality for their small family during those years of filming frenzy. I would contrast this with the family of Sam Bankman-Fried, who were avid to join him in the la-la land of living high on pyramid scheme money, so much so that they bear some culpability for his having to spend much of his life in prison. Not that I would wish that fate on any parent.

I really enjoyed the first part of the film, seeing Holmes as a stuntman in the making from quite a young age, then as a professional plying his trade, and in-between as a physically gifted youth with like-enabled friends, all literally leaping from lamp post to fence top while walking through London streets. Radcliffe and Holmes were 11 and 16 when they met on the set, and hit it off right away. What kid wouldn’t enjoy hanging out with kids who casually backflip while walking down the hall, or fall off walls on demand, apparently effortlessly?

Sometimes I wonder if I would have had a different career I’d been exposed to unconventional options. In retrospect, I think my dream job might have been as music librarian for a major orchestra. I did see plenty of performances though, so clearly I wasn’t compelled to find out, say, how the music for all those different instruments gets sorted and placed.

Some *are* called, though, and Holmes was always a fearless child ready to climb anything, then leap off or slide down it. His parents recognized his strength and enrolled him in competitive gymnastics training, which is not just a world of wannabe Olympians; a lot of those kids target stunt performer careers from the start.

After the accident, the movie changes quite a bit, just as Holmes’ life did. He will never regain use of his lower limbs, and he struggles daily to maintain a functioning level of muscle mass. I learned that paraplegia is a deteriorating disease that can ultimately claim many unexpected functions, including the ability to talk, one of his greatest fears.

The key component for ensuring a movie about such a setback is uplifting rather than depressing is a victim who not only shows real courage and resilience, but also is surrounded by a group of supportive friends, and Holmes is that guy. One of his former work colleagues has become his personal caregiver. Most of his peer group from the movies, as well as Radcliffe, stayed beside him from the start, and their camaraderie and playfulness and positive life force are fully on display.