39 Pounds of Love

I an in a wheelchair and after meeting Ami, I felt like I was walking. I'm a mentor for teens, and I tell them about Ami. He doesn't know the meaning of "can't be done". I never saw so much dedication, and unconditional love for everyone. The crew and Ami are very special people that are carrying a message to everyone. Don't give up, just keep trying. The more people that see this documentary, the more people will feel so much better about them selves. This documentary can make so many good changes in people. Ami lives day to day, not knowing if it's his last. For a man weighing 39 pounds, he's the biggest man I ever met. My life has changed for the better because of this film.

What's written on the poster is: "At birth he was given 6 years to live... At 34 he takes the journey of a lifetime." Ami is an American-born Israeli who was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy disease at the age of one. At age of 34, after the love toward his 22 years old care-giver didn't go well, he decided to come to the US to face the doctor who said that he would have only 6 years to live. He wanted to show the doctor that he is still alive, and weights 39 pounds. Why? Your guess is as good as mine, even I have seen this film.

Obviously it's courageous to live when all he can move is his left index finger, but why does he have so much anger toward the doctor who diagnosed his disease 34 years ago? His doctor just told his mom that based on the medical history, people with his disease won't live long. What's the point of him showing up at old doctor's door for? Why is tracking down this old doctor in the US is a journey of his lifetime? There are so many things we might be interested in Ami's life: how can he make those animations with the movement of only one finger? How can he go through daily lives while totally depending on others? How did he out lived his doctor's prediction? How does he deal emotionally when other people look at him like looking at a strange creature? The movie told us none of that. Instead, the filmmaker got a van and set up a trip to let Ami to show up at his old doctor's door in order to show him that he is still alive. I thought it was a joke.

I went to see this film, thinking it was going to be a sappy tearjerker. Much to my surprise, the film was JOYFUL and even funny at times. It's hard not to be inspired by Ami.

That being said, the film is never preachy. At times I forgot Ami was disabled, as he deals with the same experiences that all of us face. Unrequited love, a broken heart, burying ourselves in our work, the drive to get closure of some type, the need to prove something to our naysayers. I had such empathy for Ami that I found myself cheering for him...but later realized it was also because I was hopeful for myself.

This film is an extraordinary effort and I look forward to Dani Menkin's next project.

I went to this film with much trepidation - after all it was about a person who weighs only 39 pounds and has great limited movement of his limbs. I came out of the movie theater thinking - what a great film, so nicely put together and great graphics (done by Ami). This could have been such a sad film, but it wasn't; it's about a guy, Ami, who is making the most of his life. He has such a great personality, that he has lots of friends and does not feel sorry for himself. He sure knows how to occupy his time and we can learn a lot from him. I can see how Dani Menkin was so impressed with Ami and I must congratulate him and the team on a film put together so well. Looking forward to your next film Dani!

When you see the plot summary for "39 Pounds of Love," you quickly make up your mind that it's sure to be A. uncomfortable, B. a "freak show," C. a tear-jerker, D. something maudlin, and E. a film to avoid. Those elements are all there, except for the last one. It's tough-to-watch, freakish, occasionally mushy, but it is also a worthwhile movie, one that will stay with you for a long time.

Dani Menkin's documentary is about Texas-born Israeli-Mexican Ami Ankilewitz, who was given six years to live at birth because of muscular dystrophy, which went on quickly to ravage his body while a toddler. At 34, weighing 39 pounds, and able to move only one finger (which he uses to create animated films), Ankilewitz embarks on a voyage across the US to face the doctor, who made that early diagnosis.

Part real-time footage, part recreation (not always successful, especially in the final sequence, with the elderly Cuban doctor looking uncomfortable with the recreation of their confrontation), "39 Pounds" somehow manages to go beyond being a documentary with a message. Ankilewitz's aspiration to "normal love" will resonate with anyone ever involved in a hopeless affair, and the film maintains its integrity by telling the truth.