Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down Movie Review

In 2011, Gabby Giffords, a promising young Congresswoman from Tucson, Arizona, was shot as she was campaigning at a grocery so her constituents could better get to know her. She was shot in the head, and six others were tragically killed. Among those murdered were a judge and a politically minded nine-year-old girl named Christina-Taylor Green, who was already passionate about democracy.​

We’re told about and shown who the victims are but, of course, the focus is on what happened to the representative who once thought a run for the White House could be in her future. Gabby was Arizona’s youngest lawmaker, bright and ambitious. She was a centrist who wasn’t afraid to reach across the aisle and work with the other side.

An early scene shows her being interviewed by an anchor on C-Span. She’s happily answering questions about her astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, of who she seemed very proud. Eventually, in her place, Mark Kelly jumped into the political ring to take the seat left empty after the death of John McCain. He won the senate seat as a Democrat in 2020.

After watching her arduous recovery, we’re treated to moments of her helping to prepare him to speak to his audience. She continually reminds him of his posture and to slow down his speech. These were perfect additions after watching her learn how to do the same things from her hospital bed. A lot of the video of her learning to speak again comes from videos shot by Kelly. He documented her recovery in case she wanted to see it later.

The title of this film comes from who Gabby Giffords is as a person and from one of the songs she likes to sing as she cycles, getting her much-needed exercise for the week. The song is “Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty, one of his best.

Something I wasn’t aware of, when Kelly was told of the shooting, he was on his way to see her. The news broadcasted that she had been killed. He was utterly devastated. Not long after, they retracted their earlier statement and he learned she was still alive. Though she was unrecognizable to him initially, there was hope for him that she’d eventually be okay. She’s a fighter.

We are treated to some videos and pictures of her as a child and then pictures of her with the likes of Barack Obama. Throughout the documentary, Obama speaks of her and what an outstanding person she is. That she was big on “Bridging the partisan gap.” Four days after the shooting, he tells the country from the podium that he will “Pray with you today and stand by you tomorrow.” There’s then a short clip of him talking about the gun debate, something I won’t get into here as it isn’t necessary to do so in a film review.

Interestingly enough, she and Kelly are very pro-gun. She’s not against guns, only gun violence. She doesn’t want them to be taken away at all. That being said, the film does touch on mass shootings and how thoughts and prayers are the only things congress ever has to offer the families of the loved ones shot and killed.

Though partially paralyzed on the right side, Gabby’s doctors believed she’d make a near-full recovery. Still, early on, she had a tough time speaking as the bullet that entered her brain had given her the disorder Aphasia. This particular injury can cause you to have trouble expressing and comprehending language and the written word. She says, “The words are there in my brain; I just can’t get them out.”

Giffords was musically inclined. Luckily this part of her brain was not affected at all. Oddly, she kept repeating the word “chicken.” Giffords used the word for everything, which frustrated her desperately.

Watching her recover is what makes this a film to watch. Seeing how far she has come since the 2011 shooting by a mentally ill twenty-two-year-old is a delight. But what makes this heartbreaking at the same time is that the shooting was Saturday. She had an appointment to have in vitro fertilization on Monday. At least through Kelly, she has two stepdaughters who, not at first, but now she gets along with swimmingly. If you like Giffords and appreciate Kelly, watch this asap. See it as a story about her and as a campaign ad for him.

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