At 16, Paul Basagoitia was a successful BMX racer. His buddy Cam Zink convinced him to come along to Crankworx Whistler. There, Paul "Bas" won the slopestyle contest; on a borrowed dirt bike, as he didn't have one himself. From then on, Basagoitia flew from success to success, becoming the measure of all things slopestyle. In 2015, all he needed was a victory at the Red Bull Rampage.
You've seen worse crashes at the Red Bull Rampage than the one that cost Paul Basagoitia his career as a mountain biker. Nevertheless, what followed was the nightmare of every person who likes to move. In sometimes painful images, "Any One of Us" shows what it means when you can no longer feel your body below the waist. For example, you lose control of your bladder. The film relentlessly shows the desperation of the devastated athlete.
But what makes the movie even stronger is that it is not a heroic epic. The exceptional athlete who fights his way out of his wheelchair by virtue of his extraordinary personality - that is not the story of Paul Basagoitia. He does indeed work for hours every day to be able to walk again, makes progress, finds new hope and has to overcome setbacks time and again. But miracles do not happen. His path is to make the best of the opportunities he has. In Any One of Us, other people with complete or partial paralysis talk about how they have learned to live with their situation. In the vast majority of cases, paraplegia is incurable and is associated with many more difficulties than no longer being able to ride a bike, play basketball or surf. But a good life is also possible with paraplegia or even tetraplegia - if you manage to reconcile yourself with your fate and look to the future.
Paul Basagoitia can now even ride trails again; the e-mountain bike enables him to climb slopes and pick up enough speed to make small jumps (compared to before). Continuing his slopestyle career is not an option, but the bike is now more important than ever for Basagoitia to feel free and not be perceived as a person with a disability. "On the bike, I'm just a normal person," he says at one point.

Any One of Us on Play SRF 1h 21min (for users in Switzerland, available without time limit, but this may change)
Any One of US in the ZDF-Mediathek 1h 21min (for users in Germany, available until 31.12.21)
Paul Basagoitia's Back On The Bike, Youtube - Outside TV 9 min
For Paul Basagoitia, E-Bikes Mean Freedom, Youtube - Bicycling 4 min