For Once in My Life

Documentary Feature, Documentary Competition
D: Jim Bigham & Mark Moormann; with Javier Peña, Emilio Estefan, Terry Wigfall

This feel-good documentary follows the Miami-based Spirit of Goodwill Band as they prepare for the concert of a lifetime. It’s difficult enough to coordinate the 29 musicians and singers, but when you figure in the added challenges each member brings – autism, Down syndrome, blindness, and other physical and developmental conditions – the process becomes a test of patience, compassion, and pure stubbornness. The band’s music director, Javier Peña, makes it look easy, but as the film progresses and the specifics of several band members are spotlighted, you come to realize just how breathtakingly hard his work is. But For Once in My Life is more than an overcoming-the-odds film. It’s a tribute to all those teachers and parents who persevere when others have fallen away. Don’t be surprised if you want to call your parents or contact that teacher who wouldn’t give up on you after viewing this uplifting film. (For Once in My Life won the Audience Award for Documentary Feature at the SXSW Film Awards.)

Thursday, March 18, 3:45pm, Lamar 3

This article appears in March 19 • 2010.

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