Directors: Jamie MoCrazy, Mark Locki
Stars: Jamie MoCrazy
Synopsis: The story of Jamie MoCrazy’s career, life, injury, and fight to return.
All sports-themed documentaries start with the same subject. An Icarus, a person who flew too high for their good, until they came crashing to the ground, but never gave up. #MoCrazyStrong is no exception.
The 2023 short documentary follows the gut-wrenching story of former pro skier Jamie MoCrazy, most famous for her double-flip in a slopestyle ski run at the X Games which -for those who don’t know- are a series of action sports events including skateboarding, skiing, and snowboarding, among other things. The documentary also sheds light on the invisible struggles that athletes go through, not just the physical but also the dark places they go to when things get harder. For example, their bodies not answering to their commands or their injuries turning out to be scarier than they may have anticipated.
Jamie MoCrazy has been ranked #1 for three consecutive years, a bold, fearless skier. Watching her fly through the air and then glide on the snow beneath her like a mythical figure, a person larger than life and closer to Greek gods and deities, is a work of wonder, a symphony that testifies to the power of sports as an art form in its own right. Then the film shifts tone and we watch with our hearts caught in our throats as Jamie suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI) after trying a trick she hasn’t tried before and her head whiplashing into the snow.
That feeling of conquering the laws of gravity suddenly becomes a morbid sensation of being earthbound. One couldn’t help but wonder how Jamie’s bravery and that of her family helped her through the aftermath of the catastrophe. One of the strongest elements of #MoCrazyStrong is how intimate it feels as if the MoCrazy clan is letting us in on a secret that no one else knows. Though a short recount of what happens, the soul put into this film is what makes it shine. It is told through quotes from family and friends, in addition to a huge amount of footage, both of Jamie’s pre-injury and throughout her healing journey.
The tough thing about healing is accepting the present. A here and now becomes an eternity, consequences become facts rooted in the growth journey. Jamie experiences pain, despair, and uncertainty with every step into maturity. Her whole identity has been built on her being a skier, so for that to be ripped from her is bound to cause an identity crisis even in the bravest of hearts. But she becomes an inspiration to others. She surpasses her role as a survivor and becomes an active participant in the global process of reaching out to others, offering her support as a TBI ski injury survivor.
The documentary works as a bandaid that soothes her pain, and in that process, the pain of others. No one has to feel lonely going through an experience like that. Jamie hasn’t. Her rise up from the ashes and decision to climb, putting behind all her skiing dreams, are the highlights of her arduous journey through physical and emotional distress, forming smiles on our faces and driving us to follow her lead.
#MoCrazyStrong aims to raise awareness for those who have suffered from a TBI, but it goes beyond a list of complications and treatment routes. It’s a family’s call out for support, a hand extended in peace to draw in other athletes who may not be as aware as they are on the subject. Instead of lingering on the pain and the hardship, it focuses on the travel, rather than the outcome. It only wants to progress with love and awareness, and it perfectly succeeds in capturing that.
As the documentary came to an end, I began to wonder about the invisible challenges faced by athletes and TBI survivors, and whether we’ve been inside Jamie’s head long enough to grasp the full intensity of what she has gone through. Still is maybe. No one can answer that but Jamie, but we’ll always be grateful for her generosity in allowing us a portal into one of the most critical stages of her young life.
