Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story (Phillip Baribeau, 2017): USA, Mexico

Reviewed by Nodoka Kobayashi. Viewed at Arlington Theater at Santa Barbara Film Festival 2017.

Charged is the film about Eduardo Garcia who lost his left arm by accident. He lives his life in his own way and always with smile even though he is “charged.”

He often went on hiking and one day he touches 2400 volts electricity. He gets treatment at hospital and in the next cut, he is already smiling swathed in bandagesas if nothing wrong happened to him. Of course he got seriously injuries that the left half of his body has no trace of its original form and . He says “It is better with some handicap than dead.”

He seems positive, cheerful, and outgoing man and these are his main personality. His ex girlfriend Jennifer and his father discribes his characteristics and how he enjoyed his life doing things make him excited. You will understand how he has spent time in life until the accident with the actual videos and pictures of his childhood. At some point in this film, we also see his serious face and sometimes crying.

In one sequense, he answers interview and he has serious face. There are only his face and the white background of snow in the mountain, and it is one of the most beautiful scene in this movie. After he talks as far as he can, he turns back and goes away into the white snow. The reflected lights on the surface of the snow looks amazing.

This movie strongly insists only that he is here and living his life lively. It could be said just a story of one humanbeing’s life, but it has so much to tell us that life can be changed and can be happy anytime with any problem that seemes to be impossible to have hope. He proves that the life is worth to live with the best effort and hopes.