Concussion

Plot synopsis:
In 2002, former Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster is found dead in his pickup truck, after years of self-mutilation and homelessness. Before his death, a fellow football player, Justin Strzelczyk, comes to him, and confides that he is starting to lose his memory, that he is saying odd things to his children, and nearly threw his wife against the wall. A disoriented Webster brushes the worries off, and deliriously tells him that the most important thing "is to finish the game", which is what he said during his Hall of Fame speech.
Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist with the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania cororner's office, handles Webster's autopsy. He wonders how a man, otherwise healthy, and fairly young, could have degenerated so quickly, and makes it a point to figure out why he died of a heart attack at only fifty. Omalu closely examines microscope slides of Webster's brain and discovers that he had severe brain damage. He ultimately determines that Webster died as a result of the long-term effects of repeated blows to the head, a disorder he later calls chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). With the help of former Steelers team doctor Julian Bailes, fellow neurologist Steven T. DeKosky and county coroner Cyril Wecht, Omalu publishes a paper on his findings, which is initially dismissed by the NFL.
Over the next few years, Omalu discovers that three other former NFL players, Strzelczyk (died 2004), Terry Long (died 2005), and Andre Waters (died 2006), had symptoms very similar to Webster's. He finally persuades newly appointed NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to allow him to present his findings before a committee on player safety. However, the NFL does not take him seriously and he is barred from the committee meeting, forcing Bailes, a former NFL employee, to give the presentation in his place. However, the meeting is a set up, where they claim the players' head trauma was due to past injuries, having nothing to do with football. As he leaves the meeting, former NFL Players Association executive Dave Duerson angrily confronts Omalu, and tells him to "go back to Africa".
Omalu is subjected to considerable pressure to back down from his efforts, as Football is a widely beloved sport in Pittsburgh, having provided jobs and allowed men go to college. Wecht is subjected to a politically motivated prosecution on corruption charges, and Omalu is forced to leave Pittsburgh soon after, lest he be deported, or sent to prison on petty charges as punishment for tarnishing the NFL. Before leaving he urges the NFL to tell the truth. Omalu's wife, Prema, suffers a miscarriage after being stalked. The Omalus are forced to leave their dream home outside Pittsburgh. They move to Lodi, California, where Omalu takes a job with the San Joaquin County coroner's office.
Three years later, Omalu is vindicated when Duerson commits suicide due to growing cognitive problem. In his suicide note, Duerson admits that Omalu was right. Omalu is allowed to address an NFLPA conference on concussions and CTE. He informs them that he once wished he had never known Mike Webster, but by knowing him, he has the responsibility to inform NFL players of the true risk they are taking in playing. He holds no resentment for the NFL, and tells them to forgive themselves, and be at peace. Amid growing scrutiny from Congress, the NFL is forced to take the concussion issue more seriously, and in 2011, NFL players sue the league for not properly informing them of the risk of CTE. Omalu is offered a job as chief medical examiner for the District of Columbia, but as explained in closing title cards, turns it down, remaining with Prema and their two children in California, where he became a U.S. citizen in February 2015.

Tags: queer

Review:
I watched this movie a few days ago, and I thought it was OK, but something happened.
After a couple years in a relationship, there is a tempering of passions and real life takes over; the house, the kids, car payments, jobs and everyday life is rather boring and what do you do when one partner decides there is no room in her life for passion?
The performances were excellent, Robin Weigert was exceptionally good in the lead role of Abby and the writing was very good.
:) What I loved most is that even though this is a movie with "lesbians"...it's not really about lesbians...it's just about people and relationships and the primary character could have been straight, I don't think the movie would have been any different.
But to reduce it only to that (positively/negatively) would not be fair to the movie and the story it tries to tell.
Hope you can see through that and concentrate on the movie and its themes.It's about love in general, about loss and life and many other things.
But there's two in a marriage right?As part of an effort of self exploration as well as increasing unfulfilled sexual needs she rents an apartment down town and makes it something of a lesbian brothel which causes something of a transformation in her in the sense that from feeling inadequate and incomplete, suddenly she is filled with capacity to give pleasure to those who come her way.Such as is the nature of experiments like this, as the story progresses it leads to one big question: how long can/will she carry on leading a double life?Captivating and poignant, it is another gem of indie cinema..
It tells the story about a dutiful 42-year-old American mother named Abby Ableman whom after an incident begins fixing an apartment with a friend named Justin.
Distinctly and subtly directed by American filmmaker Stacie Passon, this finely paced fictional tale which is narrated mostly from the main character's point of view, draws a rarely straightforward, normative and understanding portrayal of a woman whom after having experienced a head injury makes a decision which could prevent her from dying internally of boredom or end her marriage.
While notable for its naturalistic and atmospheric milieu depictions, reverent cinematography by cinematographer David Kruta, production design by production designer Lisa Mayers, distant and far from stereotypical depiction of partnership, trendy choice of themes which serves the representation of the protagonist and use of light, this character-driven and narrative-driven story about a cinematic universe of women where men are neither excluded or significantly prioritized, where labeling, voyeurism and crowd-pleasing narrative choices are commendably surpassed by consideration of character and where a person in a mid-life situation whom has become so alienated from herself that she has to do something to regain what she has drifted so far away from, depicts a dense and in-depth study of character and contains a good score by composer Barb Morrison.This freshly humorous, unconventionally conversational and non-moralizing though liable indie which is set in the U.S. in the 21st century, and where a wife agrees to a suggestion which becomes an escape from her down-to-earth life with her son, stepdaughter and spouse, is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, subtle continuity, distinct film editing, variegated characters and perspectives and the assured and authentic acting performances by American television and film actresses Robin Weigert and Maggie Siff.
Alright movie, with great lead performance, but leaves us cold in the end.
So this was coming out this week, and i said why not, i remember hearing good things about this movie when it came out at the Sundance Film Festival in the beginning of the year, so yeah, i gave this movie a chance.
Concussion is the directorial day view for director Stacie Passon and it stars Robin Weigert, Maggie Siff, Johnathan Tchaikovsky.And i don't think i have much to say about this one, i mean it has some quality, its a decent directorial debut, but the movie just did not hit me.
Concussion follows Abby a lesbian who is going through a mid-life crises, she has no sex with her partner Julie Fain Lawrence, and she goes to see a hooker.
So this actually came first than Blue is the Warmest Color another lesbian story, that unfortunately i have not seen yet, but i am very excited too.
But the movie is not really about lesbians, or the social problems or anything like that, this movie is about a women that is repressed sexually and is trying to help, another women that are also sexually repressed, she is really discovering herself doing this process.
She is really trying to figure things out, inside herself, she knows that she cant keep up with her boring sad life, she wants change.The performances are really good, Robin Weigert does some very impressive work in this movie has Abby, but really, that is just it, the movie just does not have enough to offer.
Decent debut for its director Stacie Passon and good performance by Robin Weigert but that is basically it.
After getting a knock to the head a bored lesbian house-wife becomes a suburban hooker in an attempt to give her life meaning.
She has to work her new hobby around a somewhat standard life.I'm not going to lie, the only reason I put this on is because I fancied some girl-on-girl action.
There is some, but this film is much more.The story is pretty straight forward but engaging and lean.
The characters are absolutely fantastic and I was soon drawn into the lives of the central character, her loved ones and her clients.Most of the weight rests firmly on the shoulders of Robin Weigert, who makes this look very easy.
She manages to portray a certain apathy with her life, that is strong enough for her to take action but never strays into depression.She is also physically well suited, she does look like a stereotypical suburban mother - but she is easy on the eye when it comes to the sex scenes.A great watch, there is some eroticism but mostly fantastic characters and simple but elegant story..
But apart from the above mentioned - the acting was damned good on Robin Weigert's part, and she alone kept it interesting for me.
If it's a lesbian film ????
There were lesbians in it, but I found it to be overall a society tale of a certain class of Americans, and Jeezz what empty lives they are leading sitting there on there little bikes in the gym, sipping cocktails and joining all kinds of charities.
Abby finally got her climax with random Sam - and I do not think that that stopped after the last frame - finally left her ice-prinsess Kate, and managed to get some happiness into her life.
this movie deserved a great finale but it's still worth the watch..
It was boring to watch and not very interesting.
The lesbians I knew were friends before they became lovers and never had sex with women otherwise.
There were many unrealistic things about this movie that pissed me off (I wanted to be a director on the set!) but being as I waited too long to get to this on my list of things to do and being 76, I forget what they were.
After watching this movie, I am feeling really unsatisfied.
OK, so the movie was good.
The acting excellent and the script was interesting and while some may think the pacing was slow, I thought it was well-done.
A lesbian housewife is bored *SPOILER ALERT* because her busy wife seems to have forgotten sex exists.
So, bored lesbian housewife seeks a little satisfaction with a prostitute.
So, it was interesting, entertaining and saying something somewhat meaningful up until the very end of the flick when the story just fizzles..
Slow-paced Sapphic 'passionate explorations', still registers well in pantheon of current art house indies.
Robin Weigert stars as Abby, a bored suburban lesbian housewife who seeks to turn her sexual fantasies into reality.
When she's hit in the head by accident by her son wielding a baseball bat, this appears to be the catalyst that propels her into a new life of sensuous abandon.The concussion itself may be the catalyst but the real reason why Abby seeks to make changes in her life is because of the lack of passion in her relationship with her wife, Kate, an attorney who no longer seems to be interested in sex.Abby tries two separate forays with prostitutes—the first a disaster, as the woman makes her feel dirty when they have sex.
Abby meets the latter through Jake, a young contractor who she's conscripted to work on her new avocation—renovating fixer-uppers in Manhattan for profit.
Things go so well with Gretchen that Abby decides to turn tricks herself for $800 a pop, with the help of Jake, who finds various clients for her.It does take a while before we break into Act Two when Abby sets off on her own, and often it's difficult to figure out who's who and what the characters are saying.
This may due in part to director Stacie Passon's cinema verité style.Once the protagonist begins meeting the clients, I would say what happens is mildly interesting.
Abby has three main clients: an obese student who's never had sex before; a well-off middle-aged woman who at first leaves without engaging and a third woman, Sam (Maggie Siff), a bisexual woman who lives in Abby's neighborhood.
The sex scenes are chaste in comparison to other 'art' films such as 'Blue is the Warmest Color' and here and there, Ms. Passon does a decent enough job of fleshing most of the characters out.The scenes involving the couples' children were obviously inserted to show that Abby's forays into self-gratification were not her sole preoccupation.
In fact, she comes across as an involved Mom, along with her significant other, despite their inescapable estrangement.Passon's strategy perhaps is to illustrate her own fantasy life which is comprised of an active sex drive as well as a need to play therapist (Abby never sends away the inexperienced women who are in need of comforting).Some may be put off by Abby's detachment but personally that didn't bother me at all.
'Concussion' indeed is a bit off-beat, but registers well in the pantheon of current art house indies..
Good image quality and good movie."Concussion" takes place within the mind of an early 40s housewife, Abby, who is unhappy in her marriage.
One afternoon while renovating an apartment with a handyman, Abby finishes her work and hires a female escort to who compliments her on her skills in the bedroom.
It's clear she isn't that interested in her marriage or even her children.
We don't feel anything from these scenes but what actor Robin Weigert wants us to see: melancholy.Concussion is a study in control by Robin Weigert and director Stacie Passon.
Abby eventually meets a fellow mom, Sam, from her children's elementary school as a client.
We think and even hope that Abby will finally have some type of passion in her life.
Abby can't understand why Sam would want to pay for an escort when she has a husband who appears totally into her.
The same-sex story has little relevance to the plot.
What is missing, if anything, is an idea of how Abby came to be in this phase of her life.
Entitled lesbian tries prostitution to fix her emotional constipation..
Abby gets a baseball to the head; hence the title.
At age 42, this event, plus general mid-life crisis, seems like a reason to change up her life significantly.She provisions a new apartment that she shares (non-overlapping time slots) with Justin.
She finds that his girlfriend is paying for college by arranging prostitutes for lesbians.
Abby tries a prostitute arranged through the girlfriend.
The prostitute has good things to say about Abby; after several talks with Justin, he agrees to help get her clients.Not unexpectedly, some of the client match ups work out well, others not.
Clients come and go.Since her relationship with Justin has deteriorated somewhat, she and Justin decide to sell it.At the end of the day, does her choice of activities make anything better?
But a film about trying to escape from the hum-drum existence of living in the suburbs has been done before.
Changing the husband-wife to same sex-partners attempts to add zip to the tired story.
I kept waiting.And waiting.Will Smith never showed up in a scene.I was just so sure the concussion that happened at the beginning of the movie was going to emerge later as some subarachnoid hemorrhage, and Will Smith would step in and explain how concussions can be silent sleepers.There is only one silent sleeper though in this movie, and it's not the person that is always worried about being selfish but on the other hand is only interested in self gratification, likely just mandating some prostitute 'witness' it with her so it actually seems real.I'd give this movie proper care but unfortunately I used up my role of 1250 (get the extra 250, it lasts a few days longer)."Hey honey, instead of dinner and a movie tonight, how about you eat alone, I lie to you eat out and order a prostitute - hold the pepperoni and cheese - I'll just take it with red sauce.Ugh - I can't WAIT until Japan's robot industry makes it around that final corner, because movies like this won't have to exist.After all- if it's just a helping hand you need, I'm sure Japan could just build 'The Arm' and at $14,995.00 it's probably a pretty good arm- extra 6th finger upgrade is only $3995.00 ?I gave it a 2 instead of a 1 - reasons withheld..
. lesbians married to each other are sort of asexual unless they suffer a concussion.
The movie begins with divorce lawyer Kate Abelman (Julie Fain Lawrence) and her wife, interior designer Abby (Robin Weigert) stuck in a routine of raising their two elementary or Pre-school children, taking care of the house, going to work, and working out (Abby is some sort of a fitness freak, running in her neighborhood, running on a treadmill, pedaling in a gym with a horde of other women on long ranks of stationary bikes, etc.).
This story implies things would continue like this indefinitely, but Kate and Abby's son pegs a baseball off the corner of Abby's left eye so hard (WHO taught him to throw like this?
As soon as her eye is healed, Kate takes "Eleanor" as her new sex worker name, and starts getting naked with any female who has $800 to spare.
When the other Junior Leaguer soccer moms at her kids' school (in this case, it's lacrosse) start climbing in bed with Abby/Eleanor, things get complicated at the local grocery store..
if you like soft core films please do not think this is the one for you because it features only small amount of sexual scenes,there is another movie called blue is the warmest color which i have seen and came to the conclusion that concussion is a better film then that if you like lesbian stories this isn't a film just for the sake of lesbian relationships its more then that i remember someone said online about Asian rock music legend Ali Azmat that he quoted people like being alone but they don't like being lonely.the plot:after getting hit by a ball Abby suffers head injury she needs a change in life,want to discover sexuality rather then be a regular lesbian housewife decides to become a prostitute and have sexual relations with other women having similar problems.the cast:Robin Weight & Maggie Siff looked awesome they did some good acting.Abby is a confused lesbian shes getting different aspects abut how things are but its not just that she wants sexual intimacy and love to live alone separate her meeting other girls in the town inviting them to have sex with her it changes her mid a bit as is this the stuff she really wants or not what if someone founds out,what if she falls in love with one of the women shes having intimacy with i mean there is a lot variation this film shows but its a bit lengthy as runtime goes longer then expected plus many scenes that should have been edited have been left in the theatrical cut it becomes very boring during the second half its Abby's life as where she finds happiness she will do those things it got me thinking what if she turns straight i must admit this script got me.overall concussion 2013 is a film that discusses a state of pause in topic of sex as sex like if you are a loner and want some sex if you get it whats next so all these thins are in this.
sex itself is a large topic,here is the thing this film reveals much more then viewer wants it depends on how you take it.My Rating For Concussion 2013 is 4/10 a one time watch for some nice acting..
Good story, well acted, complex but seems that script was incomplete.
Perhaps 6 is too low a rating for this movie, which was well acted and suspenseful in that you do not know where Kate and Abby's marriage is headed or what the consequences of Abby's prostitution will be.I do think it is of interest that the women are a gay married couple, depicting that their marriage is similar to others, yet individual.My problem was that either my brain's neurological connections are weak or the script assumed that we knew what Abby was doing with the loft apartment in the first place or even what Kate did for work.
Some other things were not too clear to me, either.I do recommend the movie, but you might have to let your questions on some mundane facts just unfold and pay attention to the important stuff.