Fast-Paised review: ‘39 Pounds of Love'

Big question: There's inherent fascination to the story of 39-pound, 34-year-old Ami Ankilewitz, a man with muscular dystrophy predicted not to live past his sixth birthday. Can a loosely constructed, low-budget documentary explore the hardships, bravery and triumphs of a man who, as he says in his own words, weighs as much as a "big turkey"?

Skip it: Full of admiration for Ankilewitz but without a focused presentation of his life, "39 Pounds of Love" seems divided into mini-episodes of family drama and personal woe. As Ankilewitz attracts stares from passersby, pines for his caretaker and fights with his brother, we see his struggle without uncovering deeper issues faced by disabled people and those close to them.

Catch it if: The subject grabs your interest and touches your heart. Ankilewitz's dry wit, career in 3-D animation and, quite simply, his existence make him a startling figure of medical defiance.

Bottom line: Alarmingly thin but free of self-pity, Ankilewitz deserves to have his story told more organically. Documentarian Dani Menkin allows his camera and filmmaking team such obvious presence in "39 Pounds of Love" that it questions how much of this short, fractured movie is filmmaker-induced reality. More importantly, Ankilewitz's road trip to find the doctor that forecasted his death feels not like an affirmation of life but as a sad way of saying "I told you so."

Bonus: Anyone looking to find the strength and motivation to get a tattoo need only check out the Harley that Ankilewitz sports proudly on his arm.

mpais@tribune.com

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'39 Pounds of Love'

Directed by Dani Menkin; written by Menkin, Ilan Heitner; animation by Ami Ankilewitz; photographed by Yoav Kleinman; edited by Sam Bauer, Geoffrey O'Brien, Pablo Petscheck; music by Chris Gubisch; produced by Menkin, Daniel J. Chalfen. An HBO/Cinemax Documentary Films release; opens Friday. Running time: 1:14. No MPAA rating (parents cautioned for some discussion of sexual matters and for frank portrayals of medical problems).