Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life

DARIUS GOES WEST is a beautifully crafted, powerful documentary about the road trip of a lifetime. Director Logan Smalley is a passionate recent college graduate who majored in Special Education. Now he takes us along for a ride with his teenage friend Darius Weems, born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. DMD is the world's most common fatal children's genetic disorder. In July 2005, Darius, Logan, and some college friends embark from Georgia on a three-week, 7,000-mile, cross-country RV journey. Their goal: to have Darius's motorized wheelchair made over in L.A. on MTV's show Pimp My Ride. Along the way, they show Darius the country, hold press conferences, pass out thousands of bracelets for their sponsor, and evaluate wheelchair accessibility at tourist attractions. Darius's story is an uplifting one, meant to entertain and educate the MTV generation — who know nothing about Jerry Lewis Telethons. –B.B.