Billy the Kid
November 19th 2008 22:15
Though I was never one of the popular kids in high school, I still had a sense that there were other kids more likely to be reviled than me, kids that were labelled as 'freaks' or some other variant. They were ostracized, avoided and mocked without mercy.
Each of those kids, though, was a person, with a full, complete history and, sometimes, tragic pasts... just like everyone else at school, they had hopes and dreams for the future, they sought love and affection, but they understood that they were unwanted by the general society, which drove them to even more eccentric behaviour.
"Billy the Kid" is a documentary made by Jennifer Venditti, where she follows a 15-year-old boy named Billy for several weeks.
Billy is one of those kids: strange, odd, unusual. We don't know what is different about him, but it's obvious that he's remarkably different, even from the way he walks or speaks. As the documentary rolls on, we learn about his early behavioural problems, where therapists suggested lifelong institutionalization, a recommendation ignored by his mother, who thought Billy was just a little special.
Venditti won several awards for "Billy the Kid" because she shows us all something that we would have never known: Billy is a great kid. He's funny and energetic, he speaks effortlessly at length on camera, though he's visibly nervous with the big, black eye in his face. His life is not so different from ours - he likes rock music and karate, and, more than anything, he'd like to have a girlfriend.
The truth is that we've all known someone like Billy - I know I have - but we've done a magnificent job of cutting them out of our lives. Why? I'm not sure... but from the way other students react to him, I think I understand a little better. When he enters a social situation, he seems to be at cross-angles to the group, saying things at inappropriate times, and rambling on, not noticing that people aren't listening.
After the release of "Billy the Kid", Billy was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a condition that affects the social ability of the subject, but not the intelligence. Billy's community fails him on this level, putting him in remedial classes, though Venditti captures him in rare moments, quoting Robert Frost, discussing Monet with his mother, or simply reading books.
The issue with kids like Billy is that they're capable of floating by. Unlike autistic kids, who receive treatment and special care, Billy is fully functional and intelligent. There's nothing wrong with him - he's just different in a way that makes it hard for people to get along with him.
It's tragic, I suppose, since no one, except for Venditti, cares enough about Billy to give him a chance, to find out that he's a wonderful kid, capable of warmth and love. How many others are there like him, drifting in the background of our social circles, desperately wanting to be a part of society?
Billy uses the constant hum of the omnipresent camera to his advantage, though - he chases after a girl, knowing that the camera gives him some credibility and strength. In this way, "Billy the Kid" uses the idea of influence through observation - usually a criticism of documentary filmmaking - to create some happiness in his life. I wish a camera would follow Billy all the time, as it seems to give him the strength to be himself.
I say: An astonishing film, one that made me regret the way I acted towards people when I was younger.
See it for: There's a moment of pure triumph in the film, and it makes you want to jump up and cheer for our man Billy.
*this image is from indieWIRE
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