Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World

Slamdance Film Festival

Director: Dana Nachman

USA/81 min/World Premiere

Opening with a moving cover of “Heroes” while scanning (also moving) footage from the day-of Batkid event, you should just be prepared to cry your way through this entire film. Back on November 15, 2013, the hashtag #SFBatKid took over the Internet in the viralist of viral movements—San Francisco’s Make A Wish Foundation put together 5-year-old Miles Scott’s wish to be Batman for a day, an event that went from hoping for 200 attendees to a massive, city-wide crowd of over 25,000 people. But, as amazing as that day was and even with how much this doc focuses around that day, Batkid Begins is not about the Batkid story.

Batkid Begins uses Miles Scott’s incredible adventure as Batkid and the viralness of the situation to tell a much bigger story: The story of what is possible when people work together, care about each other and create true community with one another. Batkid Begins won’t make you cry because Scott is pro-level cute (but he is totes cute), it’ll make you cry because so many people on so many different levels came together to create something truly good and hopeful.

Batkid isn’t here to save us from villains or tyrants or monsters, he’s here to save us from ourselves—from our cynicism and our constant lack of optimism. Batkid is a reminder that we should all be a little more childlike, be a little more trusting, be a little more caring and start giving more of a damn about each other in this world. We need you, Batkid. Save us
– John Ford