Not Going Quietly

By: Ashlee Dell’Arciprete

One of the most powerful documentaries to come out of this years’ Tribeca Film Festival has to be Nicholas Bruckman’s Not Going Quietly, a film about attorney and activist Ady Barkan’s trials and tribulations through finding out about his ALS diagnosis to his work towards reframing his own narrative into a powerful warrior for social justice. The documentary follows Barkan as he begins by self-taping himself post prognosis up to his chance encounter on a plane with Senator Jeff Flake.

After his video with Flake went viral, it prompted Director Nicholas Bruckman to want to work together with Barkan to highlight his story and make sure it was shared all over the world. The goal was to show that Ady could still accomplish whatever he set his mind to – no matter what ALS threw at him. Not Going Quietly beautifully depicts the struggle of chronic illness and disability over the course of the film as Barkan slowly is able to do less and less physically. However, throughout we see Ady reframe his own narrative into launching his “Be A Hero PAC” campaign and use his experience with activism to shine a light on his own condition and on his own terms.

The film also follows along with Ady’s efforts towards trying to help pass Medicare For All. We see as he meets with huge politicians during the 2020 campaign season including Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren and now-Vice President Kamala Harris in hopes of getting them to champion his cause.

Not Going Quietly is a monumental film for those with chronic health conditions, their families or just about everybody with a loved one. The work of Director Nicholas Bruckman is unstoppable with his ability to capture not only the raw moments in light of showcasing Ady’s activism, but he also captures the everyday life of a father and his children. Bruckman’s real relationship with Ady is also speckled throughout documentation of the film.

An extremely powerful line in the film is when Ady says, “The weaker I get, the louder I become.” This speaks to the kind of perseverance he has by not letting his condition define him and is something we should all take away from his substantial activism. Ady Barkan’s bravery, resilience and true heart becomes louder and louder throughout the documentary as each bit by bit he loses, the evermore agility and spirit he gains.