Heartland: I Can I Will I Did
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Inspirational dramas are the types of films I don’t necessarily go out of my way to watch in my free time. To clarify, I consider inspirational dramas to be films like “Remember the Titans” or “Rocky”. In my opinion, one of their biggest problems is that they get too sappy, or unrealistic, as they progress through their narrative. Now there’s nothing wrong with wanting a film to pump you up or inspire you. I’m actually a big fan of the “Rocky” franchise. I just don’t like it when they overdo it which seems to be the problem with the majority of them. Even with that in mind though, I was curious to see how “I Can I Will I Did” would keep me invested while watching it. Its IMDb synopsis made it seem like an indie “The Karate Kid” with a focus on taekwondo. What I got instead was a flawed film that does the inspirational drama better than expected.
“I Can I Will I Did” is about a foster teen named Ben who gets bullied constantly. This leads to a car accident that handicaps him temporarily though his depression is keeping him from wanting to recover. However, a wheelchair-bound girl named Adrienne and her grandfather inspire him to push through his handicap, leading him to not only fully recover but become interested in the grandfather’s taekwondo teachings. While trying to discover what he wants to do with his life, Ben decides to work for the grandfather and hone his own skills in order to prove to the grandfather that he is worthy of a scholarship he offers. This leads to a series of ups and downs in Ben’s life that teach him what it really means to shape your own destiny.
The film starts out exactly how I pictured: an indie “The Karate Kid” involving taekwondo. However, its slow pacing and dedication to Ben’s recovery in the first and second act show that there’s more to this film than easy comparisons. Despite a few cliche moments that felt unnecessary and easily remedied, “I Can I Will I Did” makes it clear that Ben’s journey is more grounded than training for the big tournament or getting back at the bullies. How the film handles his growth as a person amongst old and new faces feels like a real journey this guy is taking to discovering himself in the art of taekwondo. It also helps that Mike Faist’s performance as Ben feels genuine and dedicated as you watch him learn how to walk again and even perform certain taekwondo techniques. In fact, all of the acting is really solid with moments of really good acting from Ryan-James Hatanaka, Ellie Lee, and Selenis Leyva from “Orange is the New Black.”
However, it wouldn’t be fair to talk about this film without discussing the man himself: Ik Jo Kang as Master Kang. He’s Adrienne’s grandfather in the film and while he isn’t the best actor in the film, it’s obvious that his involvement far exceeds his onscreen performance. The film definitely feels like it somewhat revolves around Ik Jo Kang’s career, his real dojo, and his dedication to the martial arts. Thankfully though, the film doesn’t feel like a vanity piece. It can definitely feel like a commercial for his dojo at times but the overall message of dedication and determination never gets left behind in the dust. It also must’ve been nice to have Kang’s involvement because the taekwondo choreography looked very authentic. Props to the stunt choreographers for their hard work. I just wished I could’ve seen it.
The biggest problem with the film is its lack of variety in the cinematography department. Throughout its near 2-hour runtime, the film felt claustrophobic at times with its heavy reliance on handheld shots, close-ups, and medium shots. It felt like a breath of fresh air to get a wide shot here and there. Plus, the claustrophobic nature of the cinematography did work perfectly for some scenes. However, those scenes were a drop in the bucket when compared to other scenes that deserved some variety in the camerawork.
Even with all that though, I’d still recommend “I Can I Will I Did.” It’s not great but at its best, it’s a really good film that takes the inspirational drama just far enough without being sappy. If you need something to see at Heartland this year, definitely look it up and give it a shot if you have the time. It’s not a must-watch but at its core, it’s a really good movie with a good message.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B3kRPkrLuE]