Entertainment

‘Seeds Of Resiliency’ review

It must have seemed a good idea at the time: filmed interviews with a dozen good people who have had very, very bad things happen to them. From these people could be gathered pointers on how to overcome the hardships that life deals most of us sooner or later.

The subjects are an astonishing group, including a man with spina bifida who holds a world record for turning flips in a wheelchair, and a refugee from Uganda who has devoted his life to helping similar people come to the US. There are three Holocaust survivors. And there’s a one-time homeless alcoholic man disabled while filming “Bumfight” videos, now sober and helping others.

Truly digging into what made these people able to get on with living after such calamities might have made a fascinating film. But director Susan Polis Schutz has no idea how to reach beyond the individually compelling stories to glean more than banalities about believing in yourself, keeping religious faith and maintaining a positive attitude.

There are worse ways to spend time than with people who have inspirational stories to tell, but the chirpy inability of “Seeds of Resiliency’’ to convey real insight is ultimately maddening.