Journeyman

Kevin Obsatz and Charlie Borden's documentary profiles the Boys to Men Mentoring Network, which provides adult mentors for at-risk fatherless boys between the ages of 12 and 17. The focus is primarily on two youths: Mike, who tried to follow in his father's suicidal self-destructive footsteps, and Joe, who paralyzed another boy during a gang fight (Joe's father is in jail). Journeyman offers a solid examination of a successful program (the emotional connection that Mike and Joe experience with their mentors is often heartwarming), while also presenting a cogent overview of how contemporary society places contradictory and often dangerous stereotypes of masculine adult behavior into the minds of impressionable boys. Yet at the same time, the film (perhaps inadvertently) appears to casually dismiss the notion that women who run single-mother households are capable of raising boys to become well-adjusted, productive men. DVD extras include two versions of the film (the 57-minute full-length documentary is superior to the 26-minute broadcast edition), a profile of football star Aaron Taylor's mentoring efforts, a study of the media's role in shaping male perceptions, and a featurette on the game of splatball played in the film. Recommended, overall. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)