The new documentary Row of Life captures Marine veteran and three-time Paralympian Angela Madsen’s 2020 attempt to row from California to Hawaii on her own. Madsen, 60, sought to become the first paraplegic, first openly queer athlete, and the oldest woman to row the Pacific Ocean solo.

With 2,400 miles of ocean to cover in 100 days, Madsen alternated between rowing and resting every two hours. It was physically and mentally intense. Her hands were covered in calluses and her bottom covered in sores.

Row of Life was the name of Madsen’s 20-foot-long, 6-foot-wide, custom-built ocean rowing boat. It was equipped with GPS, a satellite phone, solar panels to generate power, and a desalinator that turned ocean water into safe drinking water. 150 days’ worth of food was stored in its deck hatches, and Madsen’s wife, Debra, hid notes of encouragement for Madsen to find in her snack packs.

The documentary gives a nuanced look at Madsen’s life. From a botched surgery that paralyzed her while on active duty in the military, to becoming a Paralympic athlete in both rowing and track and field, to meeting and falling in love with her wife, Madsen was a force. She rowed across the Atlantic Ocean twice, traversed the Indian Ocean and circumnavigated Great Britain.

Madsen was planning to retire after rowing across the Pacific, but halfway through her journey, on day 60, she died while doing repairs on the boat in the water. Row of Life is an everlasting tribute to Madsen’s life and is worth the watch.

Row of Life will open at DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema in New York on June 19, ahead of a nationwide theatrical rollout.