& # 39; Skid Marathon & # 39; examination | Hollywood Reporter



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MOVIES

14:21 PDT 20/03/2019

by

Frank Scheck

The documentary by Mark Hayes is about a Los Angeles judge who created a running club on Skid Row and members who had a second chance in life.

This may reflect my innate cynicism, but all I could think of when I looked at Mark Hayes' documentary was how amazing it was that he had not yet received Hollywood treatment comfortable and generous.. Skid Marathon, which features a Los Angeles judge who organized a running club to help homeless people and ex-inmates, presents a compelling story and compelling characters. For the nervous and charismatic judge, think Sean Penn.

This does not diminish the power of the film, which shows how we can promote rehabilitation in the most unlikely way. The central figure of the story is Judge Craig Mitchell, whose socially responsible leanings began early in his life when his mother, who died when he was only 9, l 'les,,,,,,,,,,,, took to places like Watts instead of Disneyland. Mitchell, who had considered becoming a priest at some point, taught for 17 years in high school in south-central Los Angeles before deciding to pursue law school. He became prosecutor of the Court of Auditors in 1994 and judge in 2005. The document shows him sentenced to prison, some of which are quite long. The responsibility clearly weighs on him.

Mitchell's life changed when a recently released prisoner whom he had sentenced invited him to go to the midnight mission to Skid Row. Mitchell, who has always had a pbadion for running, came up with the idea of ​​creating the Midnight Mission Runners Club. The doc, filmed over several years, describes several people whose lives have changed as a result of their participation.

All testify to how their new discipline and dedication to physical activity have helped them overcome their troubled past. David, who lived on the street for 10 years, is trying to become an artist. Ben was a pretty successful rock musician before succumbing to drugs and alcohol; now sober, he aspires to (what else?) write music for movies. A single mother, Rebecca, and her young son were homeless for years before joining the midnight mission, but she is now actively seeking work as a surgical technician. Rafael has served 28 years in prison for murder, but now focuses on educating children about the dangers of criminal life. And Mody was a student in New York until his addictions derailed his studies.

Skid Marathon offers club members many opportunities to tell their story and Judge Mitchell to describe his motivations. The film includes many scenes from their common run, which become repetitive over the course of the feature film. The documentary also describes the group's trips to Ghana and Rome to participate in marathons, resulting in many travelogue-type sequences.

That the running club is not a guaranteed cure becomes moving evidence when we learn that Mody suffered a serious relapse and started living on the street again.

Mitchell is a figure as interesting as the oppressed people that he is dedicated to helping. More often seen without a shirt or in a tank top and shorts than a judge's dress, he would certainly qualify for a "Los Angeles Sexiest Judges" schedule if there was one. His pbadion for running could be described as an obsession, especially after it was revealed that he was suffering from a serious spinal condition that had brought his doctors to advise him to no longer run. In terms of addiction, Mitchell may have more in common with the people he's looking to help than he's willing to admit.

Production and Distribution Company: OWLS Media
Director: Mark Hayes
Producers: Gabriele Hayes, Doug Blush
Director of Photography: James Stolz
Editors: Tchavdar Georgiev, Benjamin Dohrmann
Composer: Kim Planert

85 minutes

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