Heartbreaker in Newton

A quick entry between screenings: I just got out of "So Much So Fast," a documentary by Boston-based filmmakers Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan about the Heywood family of Newton, whose son Stephen was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) in his 20s. Over five years of filmmaking, the directors track the family's response, including older brother Jamie Heywood's driven creation of a foundation to practice "guerilla science" in hopes of coming up with a cure.

The movie's a heartwrencher of the best, most inspiring kind, because the Heywoods and especially Stephen approach his situation with grace, a goodly amount of humor, and no self-pity whatsoever. You come out of "So Much So Fast" feeling privileged to have met them. It's also a triumphant Sundance return for Ascher and Jordan ten years after winning a Jury award for "Troublesome Creek".

There wasn't a dry eye in the house when the lights came up to reveal the entire Heywood clan in the audience -- including Stephen (immobile in a motorized wheelchair), his wife and their son. "So Much" has already been sold to PBS, but here's hoping a distributor picks it up for theatrical release. The movie's an emotional killer and it deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.