Northwest Film Forum

In 1934, Bill Wilson—called “Bill” in the tradition of members of Alcoholics Anonymous—faced not only his own lethal addiction, but modern medicine which doomed alcoholics to imprisonment, shock therapy and brain surgery. A surge of spiritual inspiration pushed Bill to recover and pioneer a new way of staying sober: by helping other alcoholics. Seventy years later, nearly 100,000 Alcoholics Anonymous groups follow his timeless example, but his life and legacy have never been documented on film as they are now in Bill W. Dramatic reenactments, never-before-seen image, and interviews with people whose lives were changed by Bill are brought together in this moving account of a hero who refused to be called anything other than an ordinary man.