A frank look at the struggles of ALS...this is the story of former American football star Steve Gleason. This documentary details how motor neurone disease has impacted his life and his family through brutally honest home videos and diaries over 4 years that are more than often difficult to watch. It's full of heart, matched with equal amounts of inspiration and devastation.

I don't know anything about Steve Gleason the American football player, bar the stuff I found on Wikipedia. I could maybe name one or two players at a push. For me, this is an eye-opening and beautifully (and heartbreakingly) made documentary on ALS/MND. The film seems to agree too, with little time dedicated to his football background. It's less about his star quality and public image, but more about the real human struggles he faces, particularly as this is a topic I don't have too much previous knowledge on. Sure, we all remember the Ice Bucket Challenge a few summers ago where over $100 million total donations were reported. It amazingly led to a research breakthrough, but apart from that, most of us still probably don't have first-hand knowledge of what people suffering from the disease go through. The disease itself is progressive, attacking the nerves in the brain and spinal chord which leads to gradually worsening weakness and losing the ability to control voluntary movement. Gleason opts to show us from a very personal perspective.

Documentaries are factual and often personal, but Gleason seems to go one step further - somewhat inevitably as his diagnosis falls pretty close to him discovering his wife is pregnant with their first child. This turns the film into a touching open love letter to his son, from even before he's born whilst Steve still has most control over his movements. This is a document of himself, holding nothing back, for his child. We as an audience can learn a thing or two in the process. What happens next is his gradual deterioration, shown pretty realistically since so much is caught on camera. I feel a bit too intrusive at times, uncomfortable at being this close to it all.

Although it is a sad story, Director Clay Tweel is determined not to make this a sob story. Gleason's own vision is outlined when he's still speaking. He prioritises technology over medical research and campaigns to make them more accessible for others: "I'd like to advance those technology, equipment and services." This leads to former President Obama even signing the Steve Gleason Act into law in 2015, making critical technology more available. "I want to give people a purpose," Gleason says to a room full of people, and he turns his words into actions so that they speak louder even when he cannot. This is the inspirational side - choosing to live life to the full, adventure, repair relationships...

The other side that is the one that really hits home: the home life. Gleason's loyal wife Michel is introduced early on and her strength is something that doesn't need to be edited into this film. "I'm so with you," she says early on, and this carries on through her pregnancy, through when she becomes a carer for her husband, on top of raising their son Rivers. Rivers features later in the film, and the father-son interaction and exchanges are probably what made me cry most. (Oh yep, prepare tissues and all.) Watching the strain on their marriage is also hard to sit through. He repeatedly asks his wife if she's ok, then confronts her for rushing her care and lacking compassion: "You didn't even look at me...Do you feel angry when you are with me?". And then, "What can I do to be more important to you?" Oh boy, like how do we watch this? When such deep real life vulnerability, more than just a snapshot, is right there, it's tough. And then you realise how tough it is for them, and then for all families going through similar situations.

It's kind of like The Theory of Everything, which looked at Jane and Stephen Hawking and really delved into their relationship and the irreversible deterioration of that, particularly from Jane's point of view. Gleason is like that, but with real life footage and no Hollywood elaboration. Michel is a big part of this - she speaks about losing a bit of her happiness and light and how she's trying to find it back. It's so real it hurts: "I don't want to be a saint. I just want to be a real person."

There are a few dilemmas presented, for example the fact that the emphasis is on a longer life, though longer he lives, the harder it'll get for those caring for him. Secondly, the surgery he receives is able to prolong life but 95% of people are forced to reject it due to the high expense of it, and the need for round-the-clock care. Even though this is an education from start to finish, it's hard to ignore the fact that many ALS sufferers wouldn't be able to afford such treatment and care, making this an even more heartbreaking reality.

The team have created something bigger, beyond just a film, and I have to applaud them for their openness and willingness to share. It must've been strange for them to live their lives constantly on camera, and even stranger to share that with a world of strangers. As well as driving awareness, it's so obviously and touchingly a message for Rivers.  The theme of fatherhood is also explored through Gleason's difficult relationship with his own father, to how he deals with being a father himself. His words of wisdom - whether spoken or computer-generated - are ones we can take away with us too, so I'll leave you with a few:

"No matter what, we all face adversity...I want you to put yourself out there and put yourself out there for rejection...that's how we grow and how we gain perspective."

"I fight to stay alive. I am not giving up."

"That's what dads do - they pass stuff on; the best of themselves to their kids."

GLEASON is in cinemas 17th March and out on DVD and Digital Download 24th April.