An Accidental Life

A raw and unflinching look at what happens after the fall. Speed climber Quinn Brett suffered a traumatic accident ascending Yosemite’s El Capitan in 2017, paralyzing her from the waist down. Now she must face an unexpected and new world, as grief and adaptation force her to question her own identity. —M.G.

When esteemed rock climber Quinn Brett fell more than 100 feet from the granite face of Yosemite National Park’s famed El Capitan, the only version of herself she knew had died. Left paralyzed from the waist down, Brett’s life was no longer defined by hours logged in the great outdoors, pushing her physical limits to reach the highest summit. Instead, her days fill up with physical therapy sessions and ample time to mourn the life she lost and seek ways to embrace her new reality. Directed by Brett’s close friend Henna Taylor, AN ACCIDENTAL LIFE provides raw, intimate access to Brett’s experience in the months following her devastating accident. Wrought with both self-doubt and relentless resilience, Brett is determined to find—and advocate for—the quality of life she and other spinal cord injury survivors deserve. —A.B.