Living Proof

2018 • 97 minutes

About this movie

When a young man is diagnosed with a debilitating autoimmune disease with no cure, he and his father go on a journey to find answers and hope. Filmmaker Matt Embry and his family are devastated when he is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Having previously directed documentaries on Theo Fleury, Jann Arden, Ian Tyson and WP Kinsella, Embry allows cameras into his own life as he and his father, Dr. Ashton Embry, embark on a quest to find insight into the incurable disease. Instead, they discover controversy, confusion and even allegations of conflicts of interest between Big Pharma and MS charities. From England to Iowa, Embry encounters other MS-sufferers who share their own information and question if neurologists, Big Pharma, academia, government and multiple sclerosis charities are keeping MS patients from accessing alternative treatments for the sake of profit and greed. In the vein of Roger and Me and League of Denial, Living Proof stylistically blends first-person investigative filmmaking, hard science and a compelling, heartfelt story of a father and son’s fight to discover the truth and save lives.

Ratings and reviews

Throughout Living Proof, Embry really takes his guard down. The movie is about a guy with a message, but it's simultaneously about a guy undergoing a struggle, facing his worst fears, and not knowing what to do next. You get the sense that he needed to make this film for himself as much as for all of us, and that's an interesting balance. So, what's Embry's message for people with MS? He keeps it really simple in the film: 1. Look beyond the empty promises of the current lineup of expensive and dangerous drugs that have been shown to do nothing to change the longterm coarse of the disease 2. Follow an anti-inflammatory diet that's rich in veggies and fish and moderate in all other respects 3. Take your vitamin D What I like most about Living Proof is how, at its core, it is a protest movie. It is a protest against the view that having MS necessarily means total deterioration of the nervous system over time, and it is a protest against those (MS Societies globally and big-pharma) who only promote the money-making non-solution of dangerous drugs. Embry is a film maker, so he made a powerfully emotional and personal protest film trying to do just one thing: help people with MS.

The film is pieced together so elegantly as he takes us through the delicate situation of MS Patients and their journey, as well as his own. I highly recommend this film for anyone that wants to feel something. Find out about the truth as this isn't just the MS Society of Canada that it applies to. Many other societies have also lost their way and their focus. Anyone that loves Documentaries or good quality film making should also see this. Great job Matt Embry and crew, fantastic job!

A real portrayal of MS - both sad yet hopeful. Thank you for your continued insight and guidance. It's because of stories like yours I trust a whole foods diet makes a difference in the first place.