In the documentary A TALE OF THREE LEGS, the last of the features I saw in Cork, we're introduced to Colin Carroll, an Irishman who is on a mission to take silliness seriously.
After an accident left the young solicitor with a broken back, Colin gained a new outlook on life and upon recovering set about embarking on several daft adventures that probably qualify as living life to the full, in some bizarre kind of way. He became Ireland's first sumo wrestler; the world champion of elephant polo; he began planning the "Paddy Games", an alternative to the Olympics with events such as high-dive belly-flop and 100m crawling; and he set out to break the world record for a three-legged marathon.
It is this latter quest that forms the focus of A TALE OF THREE LEGS as Colin and his running-mate (the third leg) John Meade aim to break the world record on their home soil (the Cork marathon).
It's easy to approach this documentary with a certain air of cynicism - is this guy for real or just an attention-seeking idiot who belongs on a second-rate reality show? - and the casual abandon with which he and his brother laugh off the number of cars they've managed to write off doesn't do much to erode this vision of irresponsibility.
However, it's just too difficult not to warm to Colin as the film unfolds. Here is a man who has seen what life without the gift of walking looks like and is determined never to take that for granted. Yet he achieves this not in a po-faced, earnest kind of way but rather in a way that sees him making the full use of his rediscovered abilities while bringing a little sunshine and, yes, silliness into the lives of others.
There are plenty of people to testify what a stand-up guy he is, but then they're his family and friends, you kind of expect that from them. What wins you over however, is the enthusiasm and charm with which Carroll talks about his ambitions to break all sorts of records and be remembered for the right reasons. He's a natural, entertaining speaker and while there certainly appears to be some small degree of attention-seeking egomania about him, he primarily comes over as being the real deal. In some strange way he manages to convince you that he's totally genuine and yet at the same time totally taking the piss.
The film isn't perfect. For one thing, there are a couple of scenes in it that really don't ring true, most notably the set-up regarding John's short temper. Also, the marathon is presumably chosen because it provides a neat little story to form the narrative heart of the film but means we don't really hear too much about the Paddy Games - a shame, as they sound every bit as interesting. (There is a website out there if you're really interested though)
All in all however, the film presents itself as being a documentary with a serious message at its core, but that core is surrounded by a great deal of laughter and daft entertainment. In that respect it would seem to be a perfect match for its leading man.
(And for those of you wondering after what I wrote in my Cork preview, yes I did manage to get to my flight on time after seeing this film)
After an accident left the young solicitor with a broken back, Colin gained a new outlook on life and upon recovering set about embarking on several daft adventures that probably qualify as living life to the full, in some bizarre kind of way. He became Ireland's first sumo wrestler; the world champion of elephant polo; he began planning the "Paddy Games", an alternative to the Olympics with events such as high-dive belly-flop and 100m crawling; and he set out to break the world record for a three-legged marathon.
It is this latter quest that forms the focus of A TALE OF THREE LEGS as Colin and his running-mate (the third leg) John Meade aim to break the world record on their home soil (the Cork marathon).
It's easy to approach this documentary with a certain air of cynicism - is this guy for real or just an attention-seeking idiot who belongs on a second-rate reality show? - and the casual abandon with which he and his brother laugh off the number of cars they've managed to write off doesn't do much to erode this vision of irresponsibility.
However, it's just too difficult not to warm to Colin as the film unfolds. Here is a man who has seen what life without the gift of walking looks like and is determined never to take that for granted. Yet he achieves this not in a po-faced, earnest kind of way but rather in a way that sees him making the full use of his rediscovered abilities while bringing a little sunshine and, yes, silliness into the lives of others.
There are plenty of people to testify what a stand-up guy he is, but then they're his family and friends, you kind of expect that from them. What wins you over however, is the enthusiasm and charm with which Carroll talks about his ambitions to break all sorts of records and be remembered for the right reasons. He's a natural, entertaining speaker and while there certainly appears to be some small degree of attention-seeking egomania about him, he primarily comes over as being the real deal. In some strange way he manages to convince you that he's totally genuine and yet at the same time totally taking the piss.
The film isn't perfect. For one thing, there are a couple of scenes in it that really don't ring true, most notably the set-up regarding John's short temper. Also, the marathon is presumably chosen because it provides a neat little story to form the narrative heart of the film but means we don't really hear too much about the Paddy Games - a shame, as they sound every bit as interesting. (There is a website out there if you're really interested though)
All in all however, the film presents itself as being a documentary with a serious message at its core, but that core is surrounded by a great deal of laughter and daft entertainment. In that respect it would seem to be a perfect match for its leading man.
(And for those of you wondering after what I wrote in my Cork preview, yes I did manage to get to my flight on time after seeing this film)
Cork 2008 short film coverage coming soon...
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