the sum of its parts

the movie is entitled "make believe." a full-length documentary, it tells the tale of six teenage magicians from around the world as they prepare to compete for the prestigious title of teen world champion magician at the renowned world magic seminar in las vegas, nevada. this afternoon i attended a screening of the picture at the local film festival. also in attendance were the movie's two main protagonists and director.

my expectations heading into the theatre were minimal at best. i tend to steer clear of the documentary genre whenever possible. i usually find such films either trite or sanctimonious. but "make believe" was neither. instead i was treated to 90 minutes of unbridled passion for the magic that is magic. but even more so, i was treated to a heartfelt lesson in the pursuit of excellence and the uneven road travelled by some as they attempt to attain that elusive goal.

and just as all truly outstanding baseball films are never truly about the great american past time, "make believe" is a reality film about magicians that is not really about magic at all. rather it represents a slice of cinema verite that reminds us ever so subtly of the power of a support system, be they family, friends, mentors and the like, in our search for distinction.

for as the story slowly unwound early this afternoon, i became more and more conscious of the director's emphasis on the adolescent magicians' inner circle and their influence on the baby faced performers themselves. on the surface, the audience was being treated to one heart-tugging anecdote after another from the mouths of the teenage conjurers detailing their rites of passage into the world of sleight of hand. yet the one common thread running throughout these tales was the unconditional backing provided the youthful illusionists by their earliest supporters. and the love, experience, expertise and empathy doled out on a fairly regular basis by these behind-the-scenes benefactors to their mostly appreciative charges.

it is somewhat ironic then that the young man ultimately crowned teen world champion magician was the lone subject in the film who lacked an ostensible support system, at least partly the result of growing up in a remote, rural village in japan. i say ostensible, though, because at the conclusion of the screening, that individual, hiroki hara, wowed the audience by stepping out of the shadows to take a few questions from the assembled throng. and it only took a few moments before hiroki was asked to explain his recent success despite his relative lack of external encouragement. which prompted hiroki to reply, in broken english, that his mother had always been his greatest influence from the day he first expressed an interest in magic. unfortunately, according to the young whiz kid, the film failed to adequately recognize her significant contributions to his overall development as a performer.

and of course, it was this response from hiroki that left me a little choked up myself as i have often expressed similar sentiments on the subject of comprehensive support systems and the need for such in the pursuit of one's dreams. moreover, there wasn't a dry eye in the house when bill koch, runner up at the featured competition, pointed out his mother and father in the auditorium before referring to them as the finest parents in the world and the sole reason he was standing before the audience that day. nice.