- Welcome to Independent Lens.
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
Heart disease has been the leading cause of death
in America since 1921.
Black people are 30% more likely to die from the disease,
with Black men over 40 facing even higher risks.
Tonight's film tells the story of a man
who used bicycling to fight back from his own heart disease
in the film Bike Vessel.
After decades of eating unhealthy food, smoking,
drinking, and all while working a high-stress job,
Donnie Seals decided to make drastic changes
to his lifestyle.
After three open heart surgeries,
it was easy to find the motivation.
In 2016, with the encouragement of his son Eric,
Donnie purchased a bike and started pedaling his way
to a healthier lifestyle.
Cycling eventually became part of Donnie
and his son Eric's life.
Eric decided that he would start riding with his dad
as it brought them closer together.
This newfound hobby led the two men
to embark on a 350-mile ride
from St. Louis, Missouri to Chicago.
An ambitious task, given that Donnie could barely make it
around the block on his first ride.
And for Eric, he says he didn't know how much he needed cycling
in his life until he started doing it,
and he's hoping the film reaches other Black men
and encourages them to get healthy.
The film is directed by Eric,
a Chicago native filmmaker and producer
who got his start at ESPN.
Eric says sitting down and interviewing family members
helped him to learn more about each family member's perspective
and insights into how they dealt with Donnie's surgeries,
recovery, and the lifestyle that led to his health issues.
Eric also had access to decades of home movies
that he used to tell his family's story,
giving the viewers full access to his family
and their struggles.
The interviews and home movies help provide structure
for the film as Eric cuts back and forth between his subjects
and he and his father's training scenes.
He also works in stories of the Black experience in America,
specifically making the point
that the high-calorie, deep-fried diet
his father and so many others were accustomed to
was rooted in the South and originated in slavery.
One of the constants in the film, though,
is the artistry and beauty of cycling.
Eric says it could be difficult at times
to capture conversation or dialogue
between he and his father,
which allowed the director to let the natural scenery speak
and gave his film a bigger and more cinematic look.
Seals did this by using drone shots
and Go-Pros that he mounted to the bikes
to showcase both urban and rural settings.
Let's sit back and enjoy a moving documentary
that will inspire you to get healthy
or connect with a loved one, or both.
Bike Vessel starts now on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.