Every time you see the words “based on real-life events” show before the movie starts, you hold your breath because you know it’s going to be emotional and gripping one way or another. Sometimes it’s the other way around. After watching an incredibly moving and touching film and learning that it was based on reality, the impact of the movie is even bigger. That’s what happened after seeing Asia A, an emotional and heart-breaking film based on the life of Director Andrew Reid (Geeta, Road To Zion).

The intriguing movie opens with Marquise (London Brown), a young basketball player full of dreams, being tested with the ASIA test in a hospital. During the test, the patients must decide whether the sharp or dull end of a pin is being pressed on their skin. Sadly, the results for Marquise are terrifying. The hospital chart marks ASIA A meaning Marquise is paralyzed from the waist down. His basketball dream might be shattered because of this verdict as he faces a life in a wheelchair. Will Marquise be able to accept the truth, or will he struggle with his new future and what impact will this have on his friends and family?

At the age of 21, director Andrew Reid awaited that same devastating news. Despite the fact it was incredibly hard to bear, he decided to turn his life into a movie with an astonishing result. From the first shot until the last, the story of Marquise will grab your attention. Primarily because of its emotional aspect. It’s not a tear-jerking film or a dramatic movie. It just shows the raw emotion of a man who’s desperate, who don’t want to give up his dreams but who might have to accept his new fate. The fact that Reid had to go through that same rough path at a very young age makes this film even more amazing.

Another aspect that makes this movie so engrossing is that it is very human with it’s bright but also dark cinematography. In the beginning, the film leaves you wondering what’s happened to Marquise and which future waits for him, especially when the ASIA A test isn’t as well-known as other medical tests. Afterward, the cinematography becomes lighter and reminds us of the depressing white hospital neon lights. However, when the desperation is getting too big for Marquise, the lights go out.

A story like this, that involves a lot of human aspects and emotions, is nothing without great acting performances. Luckily, Reid found the perfect lead for this movie in London Brown (Headlock, Change), who’s portraying the lost and desperate Marquise in the best way possible. He makes us feel sad, angry but also hopeful that his character will make the best of his life, no matter how hard times seem right now. Next to him, we see Pruitt Taylor Vince (The Blacklist, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Marquise’s hospital roommate Noah who sadly lost both legs but who still seems to enjoy life. Or is just a cover-up?

Asia A makes you realize that you shouldn’t take a good life for granted because it can be over in a heartbeat. Grab life with both hands and check out this film because, with a gripping story and captivation acting performances, it’s a movie you should see.

Liselotte Vanophem, Just Celebrity Magazine’s Film and Celebrity Reporter