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It is difficult to write about the acclaimed, award winning documentary "Darius Goes West" without using phrases that have become cliche or superlatives that are tossed about casually and excessively these days. That said, I will tell you that this is a film that is deeply moving and offers profound, life changing lessons.
The film was made by novice film makers on a low budget and it shows. It is not the most technically sophisticated piece of movie making you will ever see but I am certain that it is a piece of art that will remain with me.
Although there are several well-worn narrative tropes employed and films that come quickly to mind as references for the story making, at its core, Darius Goes West is a road trip. And as is the case with road trip stories, it is not the destination that makes the trip worth watching but rather the journey which is compelling.
The film documents the trip that then 15 year-old disability rights activist Darius Weems takes to Los Angeles in hopes of winning a spot on MTV's "Pimp My Ride" in order to get his wheelchair decked out in all the finery rapper, Xzibit and car shop, West Coast Customs have to offer.
The film is several years old now and you might remember the outcome of the story from coverage at the time. I won't reveal it to you except to say that it does not matter. What Darius Weems has to teach does not come from getting his wheelchair pimped or not.
One of the reasons why this film is important is the reason why Darius wants to appear on "Pimp My Ride." Darius has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Watching the film we learn that DMD is the number one genetic killer of children, is 100% fatal (usually in the teens and twenties like Darius' brother Mario who died at the age of 19) and afflicts 1 in 3,500 boys worldwide. Like me, I would bet you had no idea about that shocking statistic and that the first thing the words "Muscular Dystrophy" bring to mind are "Jerry Lewis." Since 1966, Jerry Lewis has raised more than a billion dollars for the Muscular Dystrophy Association through his annual Labor Day Telethon. And while this is an incredible feat, the generation of kids currently living and dying with DMD don't know Jerry Lewis.
In addition to raising awareness about the disease among the age group most affected by it, the journey shows us the reality of the need for access with comparisons between the Carlsbad Caverns (wheelchair accessible) and the St. Louis Arch (not wheelchair accessible). One of Darius' road trip companions realizes that not only does this mean that he cannot share this experience on their trip, he also would not be able to have Darius to his home when they returned because his home is not accessible. Accessibility is not important just for the disabled but also for the able bodied who simply want to have the pleasure of the company of their friends.
"Darius Goes West" is the story of the road trip of a group of young men. As such it has more than its fair share of juvenile, bro bonding moments to which I could not relate. However, they serve to make plain that none of the several white, presumably more well off, dudes who accompany Darius who is poor and black (he and his mother survive on disability payments as she is blind and live in a housing project) is there as suffering caregivers (though they are caregivers it is not their sole role nor are they suffering), on a pity project or to burnish feelings of do-gooding nobility. There are there because Darius is witty, talented, fun, engaging and one of the guys. Period.
The most profound lesson I took from "Darius Goes West" is that purpose is what makes life joyful. One of the many ways in which this lesson is offered is subtle. The rented RV they drive across country breaks down along the way and they fall behind schedule. This is, of course, frustrating and is an example of the kinds of annoyances we each face in our daily lives. However, several things come from the frustration. First, there is a woman with a Chihuahua who puts its front paws together while she holds the dog and it appears to "pray." It's a tiny, sweet gesture and Darius speculates that it was the Chihuahua's prayers that eventually set
