When Fmr. Rep. Gabby Giffords was shot outside a Safeway in Arizona on January 8, 2011, I was 15. I knew the vague outline of what adults meant when they talked about Columbine. Even so, the extent of gun violence in the United States was still an underdeveloped reference point in my understanding of the country. Giffords’ experience, and the ubiquitous news coverage stemming from it, was a turning point for my education. There’s something searing and shattering to be a relatively sheltered teenager in New England and wake up one day to realize that someone with a gun can simply walk up and nearly assassinate a sitting United States Representative. You read about Lincoln. Watch the JFK clip, but it feels remote. Giffords was the moment that made it real, and the years since have only served to provide further schooling in the violent possibilities.
Filmmaking team Julie Cohen and Betsy West turn their prodigious documentary talents on Giffords. Her life before the shooting. The remarkable recovery she made afterward, and the work she has carried out in the ensuing decade to fight for gun control legislation. Cohen and West pull in a multitude of sources to present as complete a picture as they can. News reports, family photos, home videos, and talking-head interviews with the likes of Fmr. Pres. Barack Obama about Giffords, her story, and her impact. Much of this is possible because of Giffords’ husband Sen. Mark Kelly, the former astronaut. Early in the doc, he notes that he started filming his wife’s experience immediately following the shooting because he “thought she might want to look back and see what she went through one day.” The result is an intimate glimpse into Giffords’ darkest days and triumphant return.
The major takeaway from Gabby Gifford Won’t Back Down is an unequivocal feeling of awe. Giffords’ injury, a bullet through the brain, has a minuscule recovery rate. Even when she did wake up, she could not speak. She emerged partially paralyzed and could hardly move. Seeing the woman in Kelly’s videos compared to the Giffords of today, who is back to giving speeches and bikes “25 miles through Tucson” in her adapted rig, speaks to the astonishing strength of a true American hero. No one could blame Giffords if she had opted to retreat from public and simply enjoy the miracle of her continued life. But that is not who she is, and the doc reveals a woman of rare dedication to public service. There are any number of moments in this doc to make you cry in wonderment, but few compare to Giffords delivering a speech at a congressional hearing on gun violence. Even with her injuries, she is an indomitable force of nature.
Alongside Giffords, it is moving to see the devotion Kelly expresses for his wife, the sheer unwavering dedication in the face of unimaginable tragedy. Of course, a doc is never the entire story of a marriage or any relationship, but you simply can’t fake the easiness, patience, and affection between the two of them no matter the circumstance. While it’s a joy to see the Obamas and other figures pop in to add to the chorus, the second half of the doc does stray further from Giffords to provide a rundown of major gun violence in the United States since 2011. These are all of course woven into Giffords work post-shooting, but there are stretches where the doc comes to resemble a compilation video of news coverage with the protagonist and emotional anchor demoted to the background. Important, yet nonetheless a hiccup in narrative momentum.
Thankfully though, there is far more effective storytelling about Giffords than the blip mentioned above. One of the wonderful surprises of the doc is learning about Giffords love of music, and the massive role that it played in her recovery. Before she could really speak, she could sing again, and so soul-heartening singalongs crop up throughout the runtime. In one sequence I won’t soon forget, Giffords pipes up to sing a few bars of the song that clearly gives this piece parts of its title; “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It’s a song of defiance and passion, and coming from Gabby Giffords’ mouth it is an anthem for the extraordinary life she has devoted to this country.
Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down was viewed in the Documentary Spotlight section of SXSW 2022.
Director: Julie Cohen & Betsy West
Rated: NR
Runtime: 97m
Rating: 4 out of 5
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Devin McGrath-Conwell holds a B.A. in Film / English from Middlebury College and is currently pursuing an MFA in Screenwriting from Emerson College. His obsessions include all things horror, David Lynch, the darkest of satires, and Billy Joel. Devin’s writing has also appeared in publications such as Filmhounds Magazine, Film Cred, Horror Homeroom, and Cinema Scholars.
