As a film buff, we know that documentaries sweeten a narrative and frame things nicely.

We are treated to a lot of highlights.

At a psychological level, the movie avoids some uncomfortable truths.

Barry’s -1 playoff game isn’t mentioned.

Getting even farther into that weird father/son relationship. A relationship that doesn’t explore how it shaped Berry’s mindset… hurt and helped him.

Another issue that was framed differently (Barry doesn’t care about accolades), was the absolute fear Barry had with holding records and being in the spotlight.

This begins in high-school, college and continues with his tenure with the Lions.

You can argue that the fact that since he was on the cusp of breaking the rushing record, a deep fear (we don’t understand) tortured him. The entire upcoming season was going to be framed as the “record breaking” season. A level of attention that he could not handle and did not want. As Barry got closer to the record, a mindset begins that he needs to stop. It helped influence his decision to retire.