Staring Down Fate
Directed by Jeffrey Mittelstadt2017 1h 41mDocumentary
Diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Chris Lucash searches for meaning while the endangered species he dedicated himself to saving faces another potential extinction. Staring Down Fate is about 7.4 billion people and our relationship with nature as told through the life of one person. While ALS takes away the physicality and autonomy that defined Chris, the red wolf population plummets from gunshots and decisions by the federal agency charged with saving the species. Did living and working in an industrial agriculture-dominated area contribute to Chris' ALS? Chris' story reveals research showing connections between pesticides, fertilizer run-off and neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS. How would he deal with losing everything he has in life while accelerating toward his end? Chris and the red wolves lost control over their own fate, but Chris had control over how he lived his life. He fights fear of death and hopes humans will reconnect with nature and live their lives with purpose to make a difference in the world.
