Batkid Begins

If you find yourself on the verge of tears throughout much of this tremendously heartwarming documentary, don't worry: You're not alone. Like the massively popular 2012 short film Caine's Arcade, Batkid Begins is, above all else, about doing something nice for a child -- and since Miles is a sweet, innocent young boy who seems to take his whole adventure completely in stride, you can't help getting caught up in the emotion of it all. Much of the credit for that is due to the tireless Wilson and her partner in crime/creativity, Eric "EJ" Johnston, the inventor/actor/acrobat/former game developer who plays Batman to Miles' Batkid and consistently puts his young sidekick's needs above everything else. One of the film's most poignant moments is when EJ talks about initially dismissing the need for his own Batman costume to be particularly convincing, since he knows that everyone will be looking at Miles. But then someone reminds EJ that Miles will be looking at him -- his hero -- and it kind of takes his breath away, reminding him of just how important his role is in the day. Pass the tissues!

It's also great to see an example of social media -- so often ranted about and railed against -- being used in such a positive way. At some point in the film, someone refers to Miles' time as Batkid as "the day the Internet was nice," and it really strikes a chord. Seeing so many people come together, both in person and virtually, to support something fun and creative, is enough to restore your faith in, if not humanity as a whole, at least humanity's ability to occasionally rise above its own selfish concerns and think about someone else. Thanks, Batkid -- you really did save us.