Feature documentary UNBREAKABLE: THE MARK POLLOCK STORY continues nationwide tour with upcoming special Q&A screening in Kilkenny on Monday December 15th in the Set Theatre.

In 2010, a terrible fall left blind athlete, Mark Pollock paralysed. Unbreakable is the story of how he found his courage again.

Ten years after losing his sight at 22, Mark Pollock became the first blind person to race to the South Pole. The psychological impact of that success put blindness behind him - he moved on with his life and became engaged to his girlfriend Simone. But four weeks before the wedding, a terrible fall left Mark paralysed from the waist down. This emotional, fascinating film tells the remarkable story of a couple rebuilding their lives and searching for a cure for spinal injury. The film is currently touring Ireland with rave reviews and sold out audiences in Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Galway and Belfast. It will come to Kilkenny this Monday night for a special screening with a Q&A with Mark and filmmaker Ross Whitaker.

FILM REVIEW - Source RTE.ie

Guaranteed to be the Irish film of 2014 for many, the heart-rending but ultimately uplifting documentary Unbreakable charts a couple's journey as they try to move beyond the tragedy and trauma that became the reality of their lives. Indeed, such is the impact on the viewer that many of the worries that clog up our heads and hearts are rendered trivial while watching – a reminder to be thankful for what, and more importantly, who we have. As Pollock himself says: "Basically, you just need good people around you." His are among the greats.

Blind since the age of 22, Pollock had established himself as one of Ireland's top adventure athletes and professional speakers with achievements including the Gobi March, Everest Marathon, North Pole Marathon and South Pole Race. In 2010, just four weeks before his planned wedding to fiancée Simone George, he fell out a second-storey window and as a result of the fall was paralysed from the waist down.

Having survived severe infections, Pollock reached the crucial 12-week milestone for spinal injuries without signs of improvement, and with determination seeming minuscule in comparison to the abyss. "I cried every day for three months," he says. "I cried every second day for the next three months." But he didn't give up. There to capture the good moments amongst the bad days was Ross Whitaker, the director of the 2010 documentary about Pollock's trip to the South Pole, Blind Man Walking. The title of that film was to become their fuel for this one.

It truly feels trite to say anything about Unbreakable other than to go see it - it may fix and focus more for you than seems possible. As Pollock and the equally remarkable George devote themselves to the physical and scientific work needed to change the lives of millions worldwide, your own hopes and plans for the future start taking greater shape - now that's inspirational cinema. Just before the final credits roll, Pollock says something that's as much for us as it is him: "Like everything, the end is just the start."

Harry Guerin

Video: Watch The Trailer Below