Having spent decades as an affluent but ‘typical, institutionalised, educated Western man’, the neurologist John Kitchin radically reassessed his life after finding that he was losing his eyesight and had grown unsatisfied in his work. Emerging from a bout of hopelessness with the realisation that all he wanted to do was ‘the basic things and skate’, he gave up his practice. Now a minor celebrity on San Diego’s Pacific Beach boardwalk, Kitchin – or Slomo, as he’s become known – practices an idiosyncratic, seemingly slow-motion style of inline skating that doubles as meditation. A charming and light-hearted vision of what can happen when you actually do what you want to, Slomo (2013) won dozens of awards upon its release, including Best Short Documentary at the SXSW Film Festival.
A neurologist finds peace and happiness in the feeling of constant acceleration
videoPleasure and pain
After losing his sight, a skateboarder takes an unexpected path to realising his dreams
12 minutes
videoSubcultures
Drop into London’s eclectic skate scene, where newbies and old-timers find community
5 minutes
videoValues and beliefs
How a millionaire traded his wealth for happiness – and a shoeshine box
4 minutes
videoConsciousness and altered states
Michael, who uses a wheelchair on the ground, finds freedom in surfing
6 minutes
videoCities
Time dilates and people flow in and out of each other in a hallucinatory urban commute
3 minutes
videoPersonality
Jim Hall, 78, has a blue body – but his outlook on life is more unusual still
8 minutes
videoMental health
Artistic genius and fragility intersect in this surreal, Oscar®-winning animation
14 minutes
videoLove and friendship
Skiing blind is a challenge – but it helps to have a loved one to guide you
20 minutes
videoIllness and disease
As a young man’s sight fails him, friendship and night fishing help to keep his bearings
13 minutes