By JENNIFER BISHOP
Life, even when imperfect, is worth the ride, says Darius Weems, a teenager with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), the most common fatal genetic disorder afflicting children worldwide. At 15, he and 11 college-age pals jammed into an RV and headed across the country to get Darius’ wheelchair customized on MTV’s “Pimp My Ride.”
The award-winning film about their epic road trip is coming to Baltimore, and so is Darius himself. “A sonic boom with a smile,” The Los Angeles Times said. “Ulysses and Luke Skywalker have nothing on Darius.”
((Inside: Details and a link to the movie trailer.))
Soon after watching his brother die from the same disease, Darius lost the use of his legs and began using a wheelchair. But thanks to his crew of friends, Darius’ experience of life did not have to diminish along with his muscles. They took to the road in a wheelchair-accessible RV, Darius’ first time away from his home in Georgia. The camera captures his first swim in the ocean, his first glimpse of the Grand Canyon.
In the end, the film really is about the “joys and madness of reaching any seemingly impossible goal,” the Times says. “Not a depressing disease-of-the-week movie,” another reviewer wrote, but “an amazing celebration of life.”
On March 13, 7:00 p.m. at the Windup Space (12 West North Avenue, Station North Arts District), Baltimore’s Action! Film Series will present a free screening of “Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life.” After the screening, Darius himself and the filmmakers will be present for discussion and questions.
For more info, check out: http://www.dariusgoeswest.org/
