I’m not entirely sure, as I’m not an explosives expert, how much damage 96 pounds of dynamite would actually do. But it does seem like a lot. It feels like a cataclysmic amount of dynamite if it were to explode. Or you could just go get Chad, who is also 96 pounds of dynamite, but a very different kind of dynamite. Just the kind of ambitious, extroverted social butterfly at the center of this documentary, which I have now seen in its entirety with audio description on my third attempt. It’s been a long road with me and this film, starting at the ReelAbilities Film Festival, where the password for my screener was not correct, and the problem didn’t get resolved within the limits of the festival. Then I found the film on Tubi, but unfortunately, the audio description didn’t find Tubi. I did try to give the film an opportunity there, but I chose not to review it because I knew there was an audio description track, and there was something frustrating about not being able to have the full experience. So now we’re into For Your Consideration season, and here comes 96 Pounds of Dynamite a third time. And this time, they made sure to give me the audio description track. Amazing.

If you light the fuse on 96 Pounds of Dynamite, what you’ll get is the story of Chad, who grew up in Mississippi with a fairly extreme case of brittle bone disease, something that you get to learn quite a bit about through the documentary, in terms of the varying levels of it, how severe it can be, and the expected lifespan of somebody with brittle bone disease. I think the most surprising and oddly horrifying thing I found out about the disease was simply the fact that since you can be born with it, the simple act of being born can cause you to break bones as a baby coming into this world. Which seems like making that experience even more traumatic, as you are being ripped out anyway. And not only do you have broken bones, but somebody’s about to cut your umbilical cord. And if you’re male, probably gonna cut something else too. But Chad has managed to make the most of his situation, thanks to the support of his family. And as he is older than I am, his time in K through 12 predates the Americans with Disabilities Act. So he even had to overcome the stigma of being educated in the same classrooms as nondisabled students. Because there’s nothing wrong with his level of intelligence or ability to learn and interact with other students. He just has a high propensity for breaking bones and uses a wheelchair, to the point where they made him prove he could navigate his wheelchair in order to go to school. The kind of demeaning shit we don’t put up with anymore in the disabled community. It’s disheartening to know that he had to justify his existence in order to get an education.

It made me think a lot about my own school experiences because I’m old enough that my elementary school days predate the Americans with Disabilities Act. And I remember going to school with kids who did have disabilities, but they were all pulled out into their own classroom. And as a kid, you don’t think about what grade level they’re in or what their classes look like. You just know you don’t interact with them and never see them.

The other important thing to know about Chad is that he is a fantastic pool shark. To the point where he competes and gets ranked so that he can compete in Vegas for a national pool tournament. And I actually learned the difference here between your typical eight-ball and nine-ball pool. Chad plays nine-ball, which involves working your way numerically through the balls on the table instead of battling it out, solids versus stripes, leaving the eight ball for last. Which is the pool I always grew up on. Still, Chad surprises people by proving that a person with a disability can compete at the highest levels of this sport. Interestingly, there’s actually another guy with his same situation who also competes. And I guess his life just wasn’t interesting enough to warrant a documentary. Outside of the competition, Chad’s got a love life that we get to explore. And he has lots of thoughts on his life and his future, hopes and dreams, even though, as the years go by while the documentary is being filmed, people within his orbit pass away. Something that the film at least mentions, even if it doesn’t comprehensively tackle each passing.

The audio description here was narrated by Ren Leach, who did a wonderful job bringing gravitas to the project. Having seen 96 Pounds of Dynamite in its totality, it very much feels like something that would have played well at the ReelAbilities Film Festival. And in terms of the films that I saw there, while I think 96 Pounds of Dynamite is a great documentary, there definitely still was one that kind of shook me to the core, and I keep hoping to see it coming around this awards season and make a push. Because I think it’s impossible to look away from. However, there’s so much merit to this documentary that I would recommend it.

I don’t know where, as a normal human being, you will be able to watch this with audio description. Because the problem with being blind and low vision, as we know, is that audio description does not always travel with films to various streaming platforms or premium video on demand services where you could rent or buy the film with audio description. I know ReelAbilities has a site where you can watch their films, and hopefully this is on there with audio description, or will be. Perhaps. Not just because I don’t want to be the only person who really ever gets to listen to the track, but also because it’s a good track from Ren and the film is enhanced through it. My second time watching the film was far better than the first, simply because context was given, and I was able to understand the film better due to the presence of description. Which is almost always the case, regardless of the film.

96 Pounds of Dynamite is one of those cool titles that has so much pull-quote potential out there. Like, 96 Pounds of Dynamite is explosive. 96 Pounds of Dynamite will blow you away. But I don’t want to set the bar impossibly high for your viewing experience. So I will say that 96 Pounds of Dynamite matches its potential, what the title suggests: that it has at least the possibility of blowing your mind, if you are willing to light the fuse.

Fresh: 8.3/10