The short film “Follow My Steps,” by Andrew Hida, describes the friendship of two young men whose physical disabilities have brought them together. 13-year-old Andrew Cunningham was born with a form of muscular dystrophy. The film shows Andrew’s daily life and his reliance on his father, Tom. While Andrew’s parents were worrying about their son’s disease and condition, Andrew met his 20-year-old mentor, brother, best friend, Tony Reuter, through Power Soccer.
Tony, like Andrew, is also going through the same situation due to his brittle bone disease. He can break his bone easily and have already broken more than 30 bones. Both Tony and Andrew have difficult childhoods due to their inborn disabilities. As a mentor, Tony knows it is tough to be different. He guides Andrew to find his way out and he inspires Andrew. Unlike Andrew, the film shows Tony’s independent life. “I want to be like every other kid and that’s probably the hardest thing I had to deal with,” Tony explains. He learns to overcome his physical challenges and to be strong. He goes to bed himself, he drives, and got a diploma from college like everyone else.
One thing I noticed from the film is that Andrew’s father and Andrew have normal conversations like any fathers would have asked their sons if they are nervous about their exams before sending them to school. Yet, during the same time, the visuals (and the background music) sadden the mood when showing his father helping Andrew to get ready for school. Andrew is mentally fine and does well in school, yet as his mother believes that “Andrew still hasn’t outgrown his infant stage,” he depends heavily on his father.
The title of the documentary and the still with Andrew sitting on a chair drew my attention. The film is saddening but it is also touching and inspiring. It shows the process and the struggles for both young men trying to overcome their growing challenges and uncertain futures. Visuals and the narratives are really important in this film. Different narratives have shown different perspectives. As Andrew’s mother has said, “it’s a different life in a normal family,” everyone in the film knows the fact and they are dealing with it differently. The film also shows the machines and complicated medical equipment that Andrew needs to use. This adds to the elements of the ‘unordinary life’ in a normal family. I think even though Andrew’s parents worry a lot about Andrew, Andrew is somewhat a mature kid and he accepts the fact that he was born with a genetic disease. When Andrew is hanging out with Tony, Andrew is able to be normal and be who he is. They understand each other and can help each other through their everyday life. Andrew treats Tony as a role model and is trying to follow Tony’s steps.
“Shoot for your goal. But if you’ve missed, you’ll still get pretty far and do a lot of things. You won’t if you don’t try.” That is what I have learned from Andrew Cunningham.
“Follow My Steps” has won the 2nd place of National Press Photographers Association (NPPA)’s Best of Photojournalism 2013 under the Documentary Multimedia Story category. Andrew Hida is a freelance producer and multimedia storyteller.