One of the wonders of the
documentary film format is the ability to take a subject that is either second
nature to some or alien to others and make it universally appealing. I’ll admit I know next to nothing about the
motorcycle land speed racing competition, the technology behind the passion or
the people involved and yet by the end of Chad DeRosa’s documentary feature
film debut Out of Nothing, my eyes
were opened up to a whole new world I would have otherwise remained completely
unaware of. Shot over the course of two
years funded by Kickstarter, the film follows four motorcycle speed racers and
details in full all the blood, sweat and tears which went into realizing their
dreams to break each other’s respective world records for top speed. If you recall the 2005 film The World’s Fastest Indian with Anthony
Hopkins, you’ve an idea of the terrain ahead of you.
Initially playing a bit like
an informercial with some engineering and mechanical dialogue only true
enthusiasts would understand, Out of
Nothing kicks into high gear once these four reach the Bonneville Salt
Flats in Utah. As we share with them the
exhilarating thrills, devastating setbacks and personal triumphs each racer
experiences, the film showcases vehicular design and speed racing technology
the likes of which have never been seen before.
Thanks to the digital age and GoPro, we’re now able to experience some
of the most up, close and personal footage of motorcycle land speed racing
captured by cameras yet. Of course the
human drama is as integral to this story as the vehicles themselves, shedding
light on each racer’s own personal struggles with anxiety, disappointments and
finding room to squeeze in some spare time to work on their motorcycles amid
managing their families and ordinary lives.
Much like the mountain
climbing documentary Meru or the hot
air balloon documentary Don’t Look Down,
Out of Nothing’s primary aim is to
give voice to the daredevil’s passion and attempt to understand why these four
put their lives on the line for something that could make or break them in an
instant. Early on in the film, we’re
treated to footage of an accident during a race and a particularly touching
aside involving a racer who found a way to press on after an accident claimed
his lower legs. Even if it’s something
we would never do, you find yourself empathizing with these four and want to
see them succeed at doing what they love, making moments of setbacks including
a flash flood in the desert ala Lost in
La Mancha and a series of mechanical problems plaguing one racer all the
more heartbreaking.
As the filmmakers
themselves noted, not everything they set out to do is captured here and the
film which originally premiered in 2014 remained without a distributor until
now. Successful or not, I was elated by
the end of Out of Nothing for
providing a lens to a world I hadn’t seen before with all the trials and
tribulations in full view. Chad DeRosa
shows promise with his first documentary and no doubt will be looking forward
to what he has up his sleeve next!
Score:
- Andrew Kotwicki