‘POV’ documentary features a health-care advocate ‘Not Going Quietly’
If Ady Barkan doesn’t seem to have the circumstances to be a hero, an award-winning documentary reaffirms that determination and courage can be found anywhere, even in his situation.
Diagnosed with ALS in 2016, attorney and activist Barkan has been crusading ever since – along with others who share his concern – to put a spotlight on inequities that exist in the American health-care system. That effort is highlighted in the film “Not Going Quietly,” which was honored with an Audience Award at the 2021 South by Southwest event, and is getting its broadcast television premiere on the PBS series “POV” Monday, Jan. 24 (check local listings).
Barkan’s campaign gained wider attention after his encounter with a senator on a cross-country flight in 2017, when Barkan pointed out that then-pending tax cuts would impact programs necessary to his health. The politician then voted for the cuts, inspiring Barkan to co-found the Be a a Hero initiative.
“Part of what this movie shows,” says Barkan’s wife, Rachael King (who appears in the film), is that if you have a tracheostomy, like Ady has to help him breathe, ALS is not necessarily a terminal illness. It is a longterm condition, so we need to support people living with that condition to be able to stay
in their homes, to be with their families, like Ady is able to do. I think right now that’s what he’s really trying to draw attention to, is that having home care, being in his home allows him to have the quality of life by being around his family.“
“Not Going Quietly” director Nicholas Bruckman adds, “Ady says in the film, ‘We can’t convince the politicians, but we can highlight the stakes for the American people.’ You see that throughout the film, there is a direct line drawn between whether that organizing and activism had an impact on the 2018 election. And so, I think this idea that you don’t necessarily split the vote, but you create this people-powered movement that ultimately wins elections is the piece behind that tactic and the political feeder around it.”