“Row of Life” Sets Sail to Edge of Human Ability
Perhaps it’s a flaw of the human condition to want to push our bodies to the limit. It’s what led the first person to climb Everest, to sign up for Naked and Afraid, and to row solo across the Pacific from Los Angeles to Honolulu. Each of these feats is something that can, and will, push a person to an extreme they never could have fathomed until they set out on their own. Angela Madsen is one of those people who pushes herself to new heights, and one such journey is documented in Row of Life. More than just a documentary about Angela’s quest to ocean row from LA to Hawaii, Row of Life seeks to understand the woman behind the thousand lives she’s lived.
courtesy of Vacationland
For many people, rowing from Los Angeles to Honolulu would be the sole accomplishment they’re remembered for when they die. For Angela, the list of impressive feats is extraordinarily long before her boat even touches the water on her first Pacific Ocean attempt. Angela is a three-time Paralympian, fourteen-time Guinness World Record setter, and Marine veteran. When she dreamed of rowing across the Pacific Ocean, she strove to be the first paraplegic, the first openly gay athlete, and the oldest woman to do it. Of all her accomplishments, it’s this one that has consumed her the most. In 2020, amid the pandemic, she set out for her second attempt.
It’s a special sensation to bear witness to someone doing the thing they love. Even through a screen, you can feel the joy radiating from Angela when she’s in the water. An effortless smile breaks across her face and you get the sense that this is where she wants to be. From home, Angela’s partner, Deb, watches the little GPS dot that is Angela as it moves across the ocean on a computer screen. She tells Row of Life director Soraya Simi that she couldn’t have stopped Angela from doing this even if she wanted to, but knowing the joy it brings, how could she ever think about limiting her?
courtesy of Vacationland
The first half of the film is the lead-up to Angela’s second attempt at ocean rowing across the Pacific. This portion of the film is presented in a vérité style where director Soraya is like a fly on the wall. Row of Life features some talking heads and voiceovers that likely come from said interviews, but Soraya isn’t an onscreen presence. When Angela sets sail, Soraya does not go with her. Soraya rigs the boat with cameras so their roles almost reverse. Soraya, on land, becomes a subject, while Angela, at sea, becomes a filmmaker. She is shaping and crafting her narrative as her little boat bobs on the waves of the open sea.
Humans weren’t meant to go it alone. Even in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, there’s still someone they’re thinking about. Someone on the other end of the satellite phone who is cheering them on, thousands of miles away. Row of Life is the documentation of one woman’s colossal journey to traverse an ocean on her own and the people on shore she carries with her. An essential documentary about the way the human spirit can push us beyond what we thought possible, Row of Life is a celebration of our stories and their ability to transcend our time on earth.
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