Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, October 6: BATKID BEGINS
Dana Nachman’s retelling of the day a city made a little boy’s wish come true debuted at Slamdance this year. It also screened at Cleveland, Dallas, Ashland, Cinequest, and Bentonville, among others
After combatting leukemia, super-hero-obsessed five-year-old Miles Scott is given the opportunity by the Make-a-Wish Foundation to have his greatest dream realized: Becoming Batman – or, in this case, Batkid. When his dream goes viral, the foundation’s modestly elaborate plan attracts thousands of volunteers, effectively shutting down large parts of San Francisco to transform it into a Gotham City stage for the young boy’s daylong adventure. Beyond a fitting comic-book-themed animated sequence toward its beginning, Nachman’s starry-eyed film is fairly straightforward, combining after-the-fact interviews with planners and participants together with footage Make-a-Wish captured of Miles’ activities that day, all set to a relentless, upbeat score. The takeaway – voiced multiple times – is meant to be the inspirational way that everyone came together to help a little boy. Beyond the entire population of SF, from its mayor and chief of police, to its local sports team mascot, the rest of the world chimed in, including President Obama and composer Hans Zimmer, with additional messages of support from far-flung countries. It’s a a nice thought, but what’s left largely unsaid is how this groundswell actually takes over the day from the one person it really is meant to be about. While Miles initially seems game, if somewhat confused, not only does he basically get over the adventure halfway through the day, having to be coaxed to continue, but the various set-pieces seem designed more to appeal to the adults involved, and go over his head. In the end, even his mother isn’t really sure that he understood what happened – but everyone else sure feels good about it. Just like the horde that responded to the Batkid idea, it’s easy to get swept up in the self-congratulatory aspect of this often very sweet film rather than step back and question if this is really what Miles wanted.
what (not) to doc 