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Hot Docs Review: Nekai Walks (Rico King, 2026)

Posted on
27 Apr 2026
by
Paul

Early on in Nekai Walks, we hear Nekai Foster speak about how life immediately following his tragic shooting felt like a waking nightmare.

At just 16 years of age, Foster was the victim of gun violence and facing the very real possibility that, if he makes it out of this alive, he still may not ever walk again. Nekai Walks tells the story of his journey to recovery as director Rico King examines not only Nekai’s personal struggle, but the overall issue of gun violence and its impact on our society.

One key things that stands out about Nekai is his attitude as he faces his self-described nightmare with not only perseverance, but a fair bit of positivity. While it’s clear that he’s been deeply impacted by his injury, not just physically but mentally and emotionally, we never get the sense that he’s giving up. It certainly helps that he’s got a strong support system, not only from his family and the health care workers at the hospital, but also from King himself, who clearly became quite invested in Nekai’s life while making the documentary.

And while Nekai’s story is the heart and soul of the film, driving much of its narrative, Nekai Walks delves a lot deeper into the bigger issues, covering a broad range of subjects as King also looks into the stories of others impacted by the scourge of gun violence across our city. Elementary school teacher Devon Jones speaks on the impact of gun violence on youth and the importance of community involvement and education, while Imo Lewis, currently serving a life sentence for murder, speaks regretfully on his actions as a young man while contemplating what can be done to deter others like him from going down that path. One of the most moving scenes comes towards the end of the film in an interview with the mother of Jordan Manners – though nearly 20 years have passed since his killing, the hurt is still evident as she speaks on the loss of her son.

Ultimately Nekai Walks is a very powerful and, yes, a very moving story about resilience in the face of adversity and the hope for a better future.

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