Batkid Begins

No, this is not a prequel. Rather, Batkid Begins is a sweet, unabashedly emotional, uplifting documentary about an event that took place in November 2013, when San Francisco transformed itself into Gotham City to help make a young cancer survivor's Make-A-Wish come true. How did this happen? And why did thousands spontaneously respond to support this child? Directed by Dana Nachman, the story begins with then-5-year-old Miles Scott's wish: “I want to be the real Batman.” During his leukemia treatment, Miles's dad, Nick Scott, introduced him to reruns of the 1960s TV series Batman. Miles, who loved dressing up in superhero pajamas, became enthralled with the character. Patricia Wilson, CEO of Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area, notes: “Our organization, which serves young people who are coping with life-threatening illnesses, comes into a child's life when they need it most…when they're in treatment, or at the end of treatment….Over 80% of the children go on to survive and thrive.” Wilson and her staff reached out to San Francisco's Mayor Ed Lee, Chief of Police Greg Suhr, and Eric Johnson, who took on the role of Caped Crusader with Miles as Batkid. A former stuntman, Johnson is an inventor and acrobat who is also amazing with children. Of course, every superhero needs a nemesis, so volunteers became the Riddler and the Penguin, while Johnson's wife Sue played a damsel in distress—tied up in the path of one of San Francisco's cable cars. But it was social media that catapulted the local Batkid event into a worldwide phenomenon, capturing the hearts of millions of well-wishers, including actors Adam West, Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck. Recommended. (S. Granger)