Off the Rails (2016 film)

Last updated
Off the Rails: The Darius McCollum Story
Off the Rails 2016 Film Poster.jpg
Directed byAdam Irving
Written byAdam Irving
Tchavdar Georgiev
Produced by Glen Zipper
Adam Irving
Starring Darius McCollum
CinematographyAdam Irving
Edited byAdam Irving
Tchavdar Georgiev
Music byDuncan Thum
Steve Gernes
Production
company
Zipper Bros Films
Distributed by The Film Collaborative, Passion River Films, Journeyman Pictures, Sundance Now
Release dates
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Off the Rails: The Darius McCollum Story is a 2016 American documentary film about Darius McCollum, a man with Asperger's syndrome who was jailed 32 times for impersonating New York City bus drivers and subway conductors and driving their routes. The film was written, directed and produced by Adam Irving. It was nominated for a 2016 Critics' Choice Documentary Award for Best First Documentary Feature.

Contents

Synopsis

As a boy in Queens, New York, in the 1970s, Darius McCollum found sanctuary from school bullies in the subway. There he befriended transit workers who taught him to drive trains. By age 8, he memorized the entire subway system. At 15, he took unauthorized control of a packed train and drove it eight stops by himself, making all the stops and announcements. [1] [2] [3] Over the next three decades, McCollum commandeered hundreds of trains and buses, staying on route and on schedule, without ever getting paid. He attended transit worker union meetings, lobbying for better pay and working conditions for a union he didn't belong to. [4] [5]

McCollum has Asperger's syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by social impairment, repetitive behaviors, and an intense interest in one subject. [1] Although he never damaged any property or hurt anyone, [6] [7] he has spent 23 years in maximum security prison for transit-related crimes. [8] He has been arrested 32 times, most recently in November 2016. [4]

Background and production

Director Adam Irving initially read about McCollum's transit-related escapades by happenstance on Wikipedia and thought it would make a good subject for a documentary. [6] [7] After doing more research on McCollum, Irving flew to New York to meet with Jude Domski, who wrote and produced a 2003 play about McCollum called Boy Steals Train. Domski helped Irving get in touch with McCollum, who was in jail at Rikers Island in New York. Over the next six months, Irving and McCollum exchanged about 100 letters and phone calls before Irving visited him at Rikers in March 2013. [6] [9] Irving directed, produced, shot and edited the film, which took three years to complete. [8]

The film was shot in both New York and Toronto. Some reenactments were filmed in Toronto's Lower Bay station, a closed subway station that is still functional for moving out-of-service trains, and which has been used as a movie set in several films. [10]

Release

Off the Rails premiered at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina on April 7, 2016. [7] Its international premiere was on May 4, 2016 at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto. [11] Its European premiere was at London's Raindance Film Festival on September 23, 2016. [8]

The film's international theatrical release began in Toronto on October 7, 2016, [12] followed by its domestic release in Los Angeles on November 4, 2016. [13] On November 18, 2016, it opened at the Metrograph Theatre in New York. [4]

Reception

Off the Rails was nominated for a 2016 Critics' Choice Documentary Award for Best First Documentary Feature, [14] and won top honors at nine film festivals in 2016, including DOC NYC (Metropolis Competition Grand Jury Prize Winner), [15] Newport Beach Film Festival (Jury Award for Best Documentary), [16] Woods Hole Film Festival [17] and DOCUTAH. [18]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 100% score with an average rating of 8.14/10 based on 23 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "Off the Rails sparks interest with its bizarre story, but its impact lingers thanks to its empathetic treatment on its subject -- and clear advocacy for a marginalized sector of society". [19] On Metacritic, the film holds an average score of 80 out of 100 based on 7 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [20]

New York Times critic Neil Genzlinger called the film "an assured and thoughtful debut" for first-time director Adam Irving, designating it a New York Times Critics' Pick. [1] Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan called Off the Rails "an excellent documentary". [13] The Hollywood Reporter labeled it "offbeat" and "enjoyable", [3] while Variety singled out the film's "quirky electronic score", calling it "a notable plus in the [film's] well-assembled package." [5] Sam Weisberg of The Village Voice ranked Off the Rails as the sixth-best film of 2016. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Polley</span> Canadian actress, film director and screenwriter

Sarah Ellen Polley is a Canadian filmmaker, writer, political activist and retired actress. She first garnered attention as a child actress for her role as Ramona Quimby in the television series Ramona, based on Beverly Cleary's books. This subsequently led to her role as Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series Road to Avonlea (1990–1996). She has starred in many feature films, including The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Exotica (1994), The Sweet Hereafter (1997), Guinevere (1999), Go (1999), The Weight of Water (2000), No Such Thing (2001), My Life Without Me (2003), Dawn of the Dead (2004), Splice (2009), and Mr. Nobody (2009).

George Lee Quiñones is a Puerto Rican artist and actor. Quiñones rose to prominence by creating massive New York City subway car graffiti that carried his moniker "LEE". His style is rooted in popular culture and often with political messages.

Off the Rails may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Kaye (director)</span> British film director

Tony Kaye is an English director of films, music videos, advertisements, and documentaries. He directed the 1998 film American History X.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Sokolow</span> American singer-songwriter

Julie Sokolow is an American film director, musician, and writer. Her body of work includes documentary films, personal essays, and musical compositions. She directed the films Barefoot: The Mark Baumer Story (2019), Woman on Fire (2016), Aspie Seeks Love (2015), and the Healthy Artists series (2012-4). She first came to public attention with her music album Something About Violins (2006).

Keron Thomas was primarily known for posing as New York City Subway motorman "Regoberto Sabio" on May 8, 1993, and operating an A train in revenue service for over three hours, when he was sixteen years old.

Darius McCollum is an American man primarily known for posing as a New York City Subway motorman, bus driver, and subway train operator due to his fixation with trains and public transport. McCollum is a U.S. resident with a long arrest record for crimes related to the transit system operated by the city's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). He has been fascinated with buses and trains since his childhood and is autistic.

<i>Shame</i> (2011 film) 2011 film by Steve McQueen

Shame is a 2011 British erotic psychological drama film, set in New York, directed by Steve McQueen, co-written by McQueen and Abi Morgan, and starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan as grown siblings. It was co-produced by Film4 and See-Saw Films. The film's explicit scenes reflecting the protagonist's sexual addiction resulted in a rating of NC-17 in the United States. Shame was released in the United Kingdom on 13 January 2012. It received generally positive reviews, with praise for Fassbender's and Mulligan's performances, realistic depiction of sexual addiction, and direction.

<i>Searching for Sugar Man</i> 2012 film by Malik Bendjelloul

Searching for Sugar Man is a 2012 documentary film about a South African cultural phenomenon, written and directed by Malik Bendjelloul, which details the efforts in the late 1990s of two Cape Town fans, Stephen "Sugar" Segerman and Craig Bartholomew Strydom, to find out whether the rumoured death of American musician Sixto Rodriguez was true and, if not, to discover what had become of him. Rodriguez's music, which had never achieved success in his home country of the United States, had become very popular in South Africa, although little was known about him there.

<i>Stories We Tell</i> 2012 film by Sarah Polley

Stories We Tell is a 2012 Canadian documentary film written and directed by Sarah Polley and produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). The film explores her family's secrets—including one intimately related to Polley's own identity. Stories We Tell premiered August 29, 2012 at the 69th Venice International Film Festival, then played at the 39th Telluride Film Festival and the 37th Toronto International Film Festival. In 2015, it was added to the Toronto International Film Festival's list of the top 10 Canadian films of all time, at number 10. It was also named the 70th greatest film since 2000 in a 2016 critics' poll by BBC.

<i>The Unbelievers</i> 2013 film by Gus Holwerda

The Unbelievers is a 2013 documentary film that follows Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss as they speak publicly around the globe about the importance of science and reason in the modern world, encouraging others to cast off religious and politically motivated approaches toward what they think to be important current issues. The film includes short statements by influential people and celebrities such as Stephen Hawking, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Sam Harris, Cameron Diaz, Woody Allen, Penn Jillette, Ian McEwan, and David Silverman.

<i>Our Nixon</i> 2013 American documentary film by Penny Lane

Our Nixon is an all-archival documentary providing a view of the Nixon presidency through the use of Super-8 format home movies filmed by top Nixon aides H.R. Haldeman, Dwight Chapin and John Ehrlichman, combined with other historical material such as interviews, oral histories and news clips. It was directed by Penny Lane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi</span> American film director

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi is an American documentary filmmaker. She was the director, along with her husband, Jimmy Chin, for the film Free Solo, which won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film profiled Alex Honnold and his free solo climb of El Capitan in June 2017. Their first scripted film venture was Nyad, a biopic chronicling Diana Nyad's quest to be the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida.

<i>The Lost Arcade</i> 2015 American film

The Lost Arcade is a 2015 American documentary film about the influence of the Chinatown Fair arcade on the fighting game community and New York City as a whole. The film was directed by Kurt Vincent and produced by Irene Chin, with executive producers Evan Krauss, Kyle Martin, Jason Orans, Alex Scilla, and Joshua Y. Tsui. The documentary features multiple interviews with professional players, in addition to players connected with Chinatown Fair and the new arcade Next Level.

The 100 Years Show is a 2015 short documentary film that follows the Cuban-American abstract, minimalist painter Carmen Herrera as she celebrates her 100th birthday. The film is directed by Alison Klayman, who also directed Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry.

<i>Life, Animated</i> 2016 American documentary film by Roger Ross Williams

Life, Animated is a 2016 American documentary by director Roger Ross Williams. It is co-produced by Williams with Julie Goldman, Carolyn Hepburn and Christopher Clements. Life, Animated is based on journalist Ron Suskind's 2014 book Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism, which tells the story of his son, Owen Suskind, who struggled with autism and learned how to communicate with the outside world through his love of Disney films.

Marina Zenovich is an American filmmaker known for her biographical documentaries. Her films include LANCE, Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind, Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic and Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, which won two Emmy awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryusuke Hamaguchi</span> Japanese film director and screenwriter

Ryusuke Hamaguchi is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. An alumnus of the University of Tokyo and the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, he started gaining attention in his home country with the graduate film Passion (2008).

Darius Marder is an American film director, screenwriter, and editor from Massachusetts. He is known for directing and co-writing Sound of Metal, for which he was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 93rd Academy Awards. The film received a total of six nominations at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning Best Editing and Best Sound. Marder also edited the Academy Award-winning documentary Freeheld (2007).

Sisters with Transistors is a 2020 documentary film directed by Lisa Rovner in her directorial debut. It premiered at the 2020 South by Southwest Film Festival and was later screened at AFI Fest. The rights to the documentary were acquired by Metrograph Pictures.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Neil Genzlinger, "Review: In 'Off the Rails,' an Eager Conductor Stalks New York's Transit System," New York Times , November 17, 2016.
  2. Wolfgang Saxon, "Riders Unaware as Boy, 15, Operates Ind Train," New York Times, January 31, 1981.
  3. 1 2 John De Fore, "'Off the Rails': Film Review," The Hollywood Reporter , May 31, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Elise Nakhnikian, "Asperger's, the MTA, and the Criminal Justice System: Talking to Off The Rails director Adam Irving," Brooklyn Magazine , November 15, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Dennis Harvey, "Film Review: 'Off the Rails'," Variety , November 11, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 Lauren Wissot, "Five Questions with Adam Irving, Director/Producer/DP, 'Off the Rails'," International Documentary Association, May 3, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Kiah Fields, "'Off the Rails' Director Adam Irving Talks Darius McCollum, New York's Notorious Transit Imposter," The Source , April 27, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 Damon Wise, "'Off the Rails' Director Adam Irving on Strange True-Life Story That Could Win Julia Roberts Her Next Oscar," Variety, September 26, 2016.
  9. Dan Rivoli, "The story of Darius McCollum, NYC's notorious transit thief, to screen at Lower East Side's Metrograph theater," New York Daily News , November 13, 2016.
  10. Davidson, Terry (April 30, 2016). "Off the Rails doc rides into Toronto". Toronto Sun .
  11. Linda Barnard, "Hot Docs documentary Off the Rails pursues tale of a man obsessed by New York Transit," Toronto Star , May 5, 2016.
  12. Brad Wheeler, "What documentary director Adam Irving is watching," The Globe and Mail , October 6, 2016.
  13. 1 2 Kenneth Turan, "'Off the Rails'" reveals a life devoted to, and imprisoned by, a mass-transit obsession," Los Angeles Times , November 3, 2016.
  14. Pete Hammond, "'13th,' 'O.J.: Made In America' & 'Gleason' Lead Nominations For First Critics' Choice Documentary Awards," Deadline Hollywood , October 10, 2016.
  15. Sarah Modo, "And the Award Goes to…" Doc NYC, November 17, 2016.
  16. Kathleen Luppi, "'Embers' and 'Off the Rails' among Newport Beach Film Festival winners," Los Angeles Times, May 2, 2016.
  17. Scott Feinberg, "'Off the Rails,' Doc Version of Upcoming Julia Roberts Drama, to Get Oscar-Qualifying Run," The Hollywood Reporter, August 31, 2016.
  18. Brian Passey, "DOCUTAH documents tragedy, laughter," Detroit Free Press , September 12, 2016.
  19. Off the Rails at Rotten Tomatoes. Accessed July 1, 2019.
  20. Off the Rails at Metacritic. Accessed February 8, 2017.
  21. Sam Weisberg, "Film Poll 2016," The Village Voice , 2016.