BAT-MOBILIZING
Batkid Begins
Review by Paul Preston
Chances are you saw the Batkid video when it stormed the internet last year, detailing the Make-A-Wish dream of young Leukemia survivor Miles Scott, who wanted to be “the real Batman” (and if you haven’t, go HERE – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw3aWPxtpfE). Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area didn’t know what they were getting into when they attempted to transform San Francisco into Gotham City so five-year-old Miles could be the Caped Crusader for a day.
Good news if you have seen the viral video – you haven’t seen everything. The strongest story that reverberates throughout the documentary “Batkid Begins”, chronicling this crazy, emotional day in the City by the Bay is one of “Will They of Won’t They Pull it Off?”. Even knowing the outcome, the film succeeds at building a pace and fervor that wraps you up in the journey.
The film could easily have slipped into melodrama or saccharine-sweet mushiness in telling a story that involves a boy with cancer, a small-town family and thousands of people pulling together, but director Dana Nachman slyly avoids that in favor of going procedural with the extensive lengths adults go to in making a dream come true. And there’s great reward for the adults that get involved that rivals the joy brought to Miles himself.
For those who don’t know, as opposed to the average Make-A-Wish superhero fantasy, which could involve twenty-five people and a venue, this adventure involved multiple locations around San Francisco that included City Hall, AT&T Park (home of the Giants), city streets and Burger Bar restaurant (even Batman needs lunch), plus the involvement of actors, a production team, the police force, the Mayor of San Francisco, film composer Hans Zimmer and Lou Seal, the Giants’ mascot.
Coordinating this would be a Herculean effort if people didn’t come out of the woodwork, wanting to participate and donate to the cause. It becomes a movement, and every reveal of just how beyond expectations each event in the day becomes is an emotional bullseye.
The problems that threaten to derail the event, from city traffic to Miles’ own weariness at the day’s half-way point have varying levels of drama, some hit, some don’t. Throughout, however, there’s a great sense of humor (Make-A-Wish rep Patricia Wilson is an upbeat and admirable person whose goodwill is especially contagious).
This has got to be the first feature documentary to expand from a viral video, no? Maybe “Winnebago Man” before it? Despite the immediacy of “Batkid Begins”, it never feels like a money grab, director Nachman and co-writer Kurt Kuenne keep the cynicism at bay and again, rather than get caught up in “movie moments” of forced or false emotion, they keep things going at a clip, delivering the day as it unfolded, and that’s enough to impress.
A sequel to this would be depressing, when people in the city go back to looking at their phones and not having compassionate awareness of their fellow man. So no “The Dark Kid” is necessary.
“Batkid Begins” is playing in LA, NYC & San Francisco now and will widen to other cities July 10th.
Directed by: Dana Nachman
Release Date: June 26, 2015
Run Time: 87 Minutes
Country: USA
Rated: NR
Distributor: Warner Brothers
