I'm not one to write reviews, in fact this is the first one I've ever done, but I felt I had to for this movie. I saw Every 21 Seconds in Chicago while it was in theaters. I honestly hadn't heard of it (I was planning on watching Black Panther but I was late) Anyway, I thought the poster was very intriguing and it was about to start so I figured 'what the heck, why not'
It wasn't until the film started that I found out it was based on a true story. That was only the first surprise. I then found out that it was about a TBI survivor. This hit close to home as my sister is also a TBI survivor after a bad car accident. As the story progressed I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. The pacing was perfect, the characters were developed well and the performances were nothing short of amazing. In particular the lead actor, Shannon Brown, who played the TBI survivor. Again, it hit close to home. I saw so much of my sister in his genuine, honest and powerful portrayal of a TBI survivor. His angst, his sudden mood changes, going from happy and smiling to being unhinged in a matter of seconds. His confusion and panic, having to relearn simple tasks that most of us take for granted. It was exactly how my sister went through this living hell. Just a brilliant performance by Brown, I'm now a fan and will be looking for more of his movies.
The female lead, Kelly Theibaud, was also fantastic. She plays Brown's wife and main supporter. I could easily sympathize with her struggle. I could feel her pain and frustration. The chemistry between the two leads was palpable, so strong. These two brilliant actors were perfectly cast to lead the audience on this intense journey. The entire cast was strong, in addition to the leads, the main Dr played by Jim O'Heir was great. He found a way to give some much needed levity without compromising the intensity of the story.
The director and producers hit a home run here. Great portrayal of a true story and the film was cast perfectly. Other than one of the friends, there were no bad performances. Even the kids were wonderful!
So, I ended up not seeing Black Panther that day. Instead, after watching this, I immediately called my sister. I picked her up and we went back that same day to a later showing and we watched it together. She cried more times than I could count. At the end, she had tears of joy. She said this movie perfectly portrays what it's like to have a TBI. It's a great movie purely as movies go, but it's a must see for anyone that has a TBI or has a loved one who does. Thank you for making this movie!
