Leonardo - A Short Documentary
Presented at
Hot Docs 2013
8 minutes and 35 seconds
Directed & edited by
Jeffrey Zablotny
with Stu Marks
I
am a sucker for nostalgia and Leonardo hit me at a core with me. It
opens with a home video of a Ninja Turtle birthday in 1992. Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles were one of the biggest toys in the 90's and the
1990 movie only made them more of a hit with the kids. Who didn't want
the Ninja Turtles van?
Stu and his brother had the
ninja turtles action figures from the movie that you could change the
arms and legs. When they would play with the turtles, they would imagine
the heating vents as the sewers that would be the ninja turtles world.
Unfortunately Leonardo was lost in the vent and they were unable to
recover him.
Stu had obviously thought about Leonardo
several times over the past "10 to 15 years", because he decides to go
back to his parents home and rescue Leonardo once and for all!
To
me this movie is about childhood memories and the rescue of that
special lost toy. I could not help but walk down memory lane with Stu.
Haven't we all had that one toy for what ever reason was the most
important possession in our lives? So much apart of you life, you might
still have it to this very day? I was right there with Stu when he was
talking about his childhood memories, reminiscing myself. So the
brothers attempt to rescue Leonardo from the basement, than finally
deciding trying from above was the best bet. After a couple of attempts,
finally Leonardo is rising to the surface! That last few nail biting
inches, when Leonardo was close enough for Stu to reach a hand in and
grab Leonardo by the foot... I was giddy with Stu!! After all these
years! Leonardo has finally emerged from the 'sewer'!!
If
that scene at the end on the train, with Leonardo sitting on Stu
shoulder doesn't stir your inner child and make you grin with at least
one memory of joy you felt toward a toy. you are missing the point of
this short but sweetly endearing doc. A beautiful shared moment of
childhood.
Samantha
