24 Davids: Quirky and thought-provoking NFB doc seeks people named Dave, whom you may not know, but should
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By Linda Barnard
Rating: B
Dave’s not here. He’s everywhere. And he’s doing amazing things. Indeed, Quebec artist and filmmaker Céline Baril (La théorie du tout; The Theory of Everything), calls her 2017 documentary “an ecosystem of Davids.”
24 Davids is an inspiring examination of what dedicated people can accomplish, whether a street performer, activist, refugee or scientist. She interviews two dozen Davids on three continents to give glimpses into the work, passions and ideas of 24 individuals who seem at first to only share their names.
Some Davids have the whole universe inside their heads.
The subjects they discuss appear random. The Davids explain what they’re up to and are shown doing whatever David thing they do. It soon becomes evident that Baril is turning our eyes toward the greater thing they have in common: their humanity.
American activist, writer, and policy strategist David Bollier lays out the central question off the top: “What does it mean to be human?” It’s a query that seems especially important in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Launched from an interestingly quirky premise, the documentary moves quickly at first but gets mired down in the last 30 minutes. At more than two hours, it feels too long.
I confess I couldn’t keep up with the science Davids. The explanation of the nature of dark matter and a David’s response to the question: “is the universe flat?” baffled me, yet what kept me engaged was that I had no struggle understanding the depth of their passions.
There’s another repeating theme. The Davids are all convinced of a bright future in some regard, whether the Sudanese migrant David, considering his future from a French refugee camp, the David who is helping Mexican villagers install rain-capture water systems, or the skateboarding cosmologist David who tears up when he reads a poem about the planets turning their lights out.
Baril encourages the Davids to talk about opportunities arising from global and community problems, politics and unjust systems. “I dream of changing the world,” one David says. Others see opportunities in challenges.
Sometimes the stories are as simple the David who dispenses free hugs on London streets. Others are emotional, like the David who tells a moving personal tale that shocks and leaves a lasting impression.
A closed city dump in Medellin, Colombia is now a community garden, partly with the advocacy of one David. Deejay David spins for limber break-dancers on a street in Bogota. Another David campaigns for an online contest to pick Britain’s national bird. In Africa, Davids work on community recycling projects in Ghana and Togo that focus on innovation in digital fabrication and recycling commerce.
Women are often in the frame and crucial to projects and actions, but are never introduced. The documentary does have a predominately female crew and Marie-Hélène L. Delorme’s moody electronic soundtrack is compelling.
Baril has says in the notes her for film that her goal with 24 Davids wasn’t to make a statement or further a cause. “I want people to float in … the beauty of the world.”
24 Davids: Written and directed by Céline Baril. Streaming at NFB.ca beginning April 21.