Justin Skeesuck (seated) and Patrick Gray
Something that I have never heard of happening at the Newport Beach Film Festival is a documentary not getting one extra showing, but three extra screenings because of the overwhelming demand.
I Will Push You follows the journey of two life long friends, Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray on their 34-day, 500-mile journey through deserts, valleys and an ancient pilgrimage that challenges even most physically healthy of people.
Justin and Patrick were born two days apart and have been friends ever since. One day, Justin watched a documentary about Spain’s famed Camino de Santiago forcing him to ask, “I wonder I could do this in my wheel chair?”
The story of I Will Push You is far more than just about a man and his debilitating disease. It is about the purest of love (the Greek word philia, φιλία is the best choice) between two friends that have shared a life together as their wives wait for them to return after this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
Ted Hardy, Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray
Their travels begin in Idaho taking them to St. Jean Pied-Du-Port France as their friend Ted Hardy, a paramedic that joined them for the first two weeks during the mountainous terrain.
Although Justin has a rare disease called Multifocal Aquired Motor Axonopathy (MAMA), that the immune system accidentally attacks the nerves, a situation that will never improve. Justin and Patrick’s struggles prove that anything can be done if you go beyond the limitations of one’s own mind.
I Will Push You will prove that selflessness still exists in a world of nihilism.
The final screening of I Will Push You will be:
Thursday, April 27, 2017, at 5:30p.m.
Lido Theater
3459 Via Lido
Newport Beach, CA 92663
You can also pre-order their book I Will Push you by clicking here.
I Will Push You
- Overall Score
The Verdict
I Will Push You is the inspiring story of two friends that took on the challenge of a lifetime and conquered the world.
