Event

Stongman

(Zachary Levy, USA, 2008, 35mm, 113 min)

Winner of the Grand Jury Award at the Slamdance Film Festival, Strongman is a real-life version of La Strada. Both an Everyman and Superhuman, Stanley Pleskun has proclaimed himself the "Strongest Man in the World at Bending Steel and Metal." Zachary Levy's documentary chronicles the life of this South Brunswick, NJ, idealist and philosopher who twists horseshoes with his bare hands and leg presses trucks. But Pleskunwho calls himself Stanless Steel deals with his own demons of doubt and the pressures of daily life as he hopes for a break on the strong-man entertainment circuit. We see his public appearances and delve into his personal life as he tries to sustain his relationship with girlfriend Barb and a semi-functional family that includes an alcoholic brother. The mix of fortitude, despair, hope and disappointment paint a compelling picture of one mighty man's struggle to bend his dream into reality.