ABILITY
CO: EP + DIRECTOR + DP
Ability shares the story of Clara Brown, a Team USA para cyclist training for Tokyo 2021. Born and raised outside of Portland, Maine, Clara is a lifelong athlete, but her life changed forever when she had a traumatic accident at gymnastics practice at age 12, leaving her with a broken neck and damaged spinal cord. Doctors were unsure if she would walk again. After years of physical and mental obstacles to regain function, Clara continues to adjust to life as a walking quadriplegic. Her primary motivation to keep making physical progress was to become an athlete again. Clara was determined to partake in an athletic pursuit powered by her own means, and in college discovered she could modify a road bike to work with her limitations. She fell in love with cycling instantly. Her passion for bikes led her to being invited to the Olympic Training Center, earning a spot on team USA. Since then, she has become a dominant competitor and has found huge success on the world stage, solidifying her spot on the Tokyo Paralympic team. This film looks back at Clara's inspiring story of resilience while exploring the obstacles she continues to face both mentally and physically in her pursuit of transcending her circumstances and shifting the para athlete narrative.