OFF THE RAILS (Adam Irving, Canada/U.S.). 87 minutes. Rating: NNN
Darius McCollum has spent half his adult life in prison because, he says, the specific expression of his Asperger’s syndrome compels him to be part of the New York City transit system. He’s claimed to be a supervisor and wandered around work sites he’s stolen city buses and driven them across town, picking up passengers and making all requested stops.
McCollum’s lawyer sees him as a harmless enthusiast the MTA sees him as – quite literally – an accident waiting to happen.
Adam Irving’s Off The Rails is totally on McCollum’s side, painting him as an affable victim of compulsion and turning a blind eye to the whole “unqualified, uninsured, uncontrollable” aspect of his actions. That throws the doc off empathy is one thing, but I got the creeping sense that the movie is dancing around events and acts in order to frame McCollum in the most sympathetic light.
It makes for compelling viewing, but not necessarily for the reasons Irving thinks.
May 4, 9:15 pm, Scotiabank 3 May 6, 1 pm, TIFF 2 May 7, 9 pm, Scotiabank 14 May 8, 7:15 pm, Innis
