You've probably heard of Tough Mudder by now. Or seen a friend leaping through fire on Facebook. Heck, maybe you’re one of the millions of people who have willingly paid to suffer through ice, fire, electricity, barbed wire, tear gas, mud and more. Whatever the case, you’ve probably encountered the muddy, messy world of obstacle racing. And at some point, you must have asked yourself WHY?
‘Rise of the Sufferfests’ is the first feature documentary to tackle this question.
Is life too easy? Is it a sign of a masculinity crisis? Loneliness in the digital age? Are we just a bunch of humblebragging narcissists?
To help shed light on the phenomenon, Sonoma County filmmaker Scott Keneally enlists an eccentric cast from the cultish OCR community, as well as a notable experts like Morgan Spurlock, Tim Ferriss, A.J. Jacobs and Hanna Rosin. The film features sharp—and often funny—social commentary about life in the Instagram era, all while following the personal story of the pain-averse writer-director who unexpectedly gets dragged deep into the crucible.
Keneally has covered the industry for Outside, Men’s Journal and 60 Minutes Sports. He also wrote a cover story about his first Tough Mudder for the North Bay Bohemian. But it wasn’t until he discovered he was going to become a Dad—right around the time he quit a 3-mile Spartan in shame—that the self-proclaimed “beta male” decided it was time to reinvent himself. He signed up for Healdsburg CrossFit, embraced the suck and steeled up.
Far from a just movie about mud, ‘Rise of the Sufferfests’ is a film about modern life, and the journey of a “just enougher” who wanders deep into the mud, tackling some of the world’s most brutal events… and his paralyzing fears of fatherhood.
The film will be projected onto an inflatable screen at Roth Estate Winery. The $15 admission includes a complimentary glass of wine. Roth's Culinary Team will be offering cheap, yummy BBQ. And kids 12 and under are FREE!
Doors will open at 7pm, giving guests time to eat, drink, mix and mingle. The 90-minute film will start at around 8PM, and will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker and special guests.