The tagline on this film reads, "Live. Love. Jump." and that's exactly the story this haunting documentary tells. With impressive access to its handful of extreme-sport enthusiasts, Fly offers an insider's view of a small community of high-risk base and wingsuit jumpers from around the world. Over the course of several years' worth of interviews, the filmmakers go inside people's homes and get intimate with their lives to understand why they risk those lives to jump and, well, fly. They're able to offer quite a lot of personal detail to tell the stories of three couples' lives and passions.
The spectacular go-pro and drone footage (the film premiered on IMAX) underscores both the beauty and the risk. One of the six people profiled dies, and another breaks her back. Yet they and their partners say it's all worth it and they get back out to carry on even after these accidents, describing flying and base jumping as a "religious experience." A memorable scene splices together images of a woman floating in an indoor flying simulator while her boyfriend is wingsuit flying in China, all set to operatic music. One admits it's a selfish pursuit: "You get in when you don't have much to lose." But they're following their dreams, and they explain this quite convincingly to the camera, even from beyond the grave.
Full review at Common Sense Media
Images courtesy of Disney+
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