Quiet Explosions: Healing the Brain

"I have lived in Spokane for half of my life, so hearing my hometown's hero, Mark Rypien, tell his story of going from a Super Bowl MVP winner to losing his son to childhood cancer and falling into depression and grief, all while battling a probable case of CTE...it could not have had a more profound effect.

In QUIET EXPLOSIONS: HEALING THE BRAIN, Jerri Sher captures the experiences of many people suffering from CTE and the process of healing and recovering with the help of Dr. Mark Gordon. As Mark Rypien recounts his story, the backdrop of the shot is the football field at Joe Albi Stadium, where my high school's football team played their home games. When I went to Mount Spokane High School, we would shout from the stands, usually shivering in the cold, while our classmates hustled and flew and crashed into each other. But, after learning about CTE in the last few years, I have wondered sadly if some of my classmates would begin to suffer from this debilitating disease. Mark and QUIET EXPLOSIONS brims with hope that where there is an illness, there is a cure. This documentary is absolutely buoyant with the possibilities life can hold and that there is always a chance to turn the corner into a hopeful future."

• Alena Schoonmaker, Director of the Spokane International Film Festival