In 1986, a bus carrying the Swift Current Broncos hit black ice and spun off the road, killing four of the players. For Bob Wilkie, the tragedy consumed his life, throwing him into a downward spiral. In a time when mental health support was dangerously minimal, and under the abusive supervision of their coach Graham James who denied them help to protect his secret, healing was stripped from them.
In this character driven feature documentary, Sideways follows the 35-year grief journey of Wilkie and other Broncos players such as Peter Soberlak, Darren Kruger and Dan Lambert to shed light on the terrible ordeal of dealing with unchecked trauma. It presses the effects of keeping silent and the urgency of internal and external support. Wilkie turned the tragedy into the progression of mental health in the world of sports and beyond. Garnering the voices of experts and those personally involved in the accident, Sideways is a statement about loss, the courage to speak your truth and the importance of healing.