The sun has gone down on a Wednesday night in Toronto. What was a bright and sunny May day after what has been a rather miserable spring has turned into a rather chilly night. I’m not usually the sort to hang out on a rooftop drinking beer when the temperature drops down to single digits, but the atmosphere up here is one of anticipation. We’ve all bundled up (or at least they did – I didn’t have such forethought) to watch The Cap’n do his thing.

This brisk night is all about BEAUTY DAY and how it has captured people’s imagination.

Ralph Zavadil is Cap’n Video. He was the star of a cable access TV show from 1990 to 1995 where he did the sort of stunts that usually dot a guy’s weekend away and are precluded by a healthy amount of beer. We’re talking about “rooftop tobogganing”, “Telephone pole skiing” and my personal favorite “liquid razor”. Watching such antics – and being in the company of the mad genius himself – might be why some of the others have gathered tonight, but there’s something more that’s brought me here.

For me, what sets BEAUTY DAY apart from just being a “Jackass”-like greatest hits mix, is the way in which director Jay Cheel gets The Cap’n to take off the wacky lighting rig helmet, stop using the funny voice, and let us learn more about Ralph Zavadil The Man. It’s not like Ralph has led an extraordinary life away from his alter-ego. His story is a lot like many other people you’ve met before (plus or minus an arrest for growing pot). However, the juxtaposition of this quiet introspection on what he’s done and where he’s gone is what gives the story its heart, and makes us look at the film with a greater fondness.

Back on the rooftop, I’m waiting to talk to Jay Cheel…and I’m waiting around for a good little while. The man is in-demand during this festival, and the fact that this special showing went “Rush Seats Only” is no fluke. People have been talking up this film almost since the festival line-up was announced, so everyone in town is trying to get a few moments with Ralph and a few moments with Jay. For me though, watching them both have this wonderful moment in the sun represents something more – something encouraging.

Cap’n Video might have beat the rest of us to the punch by a good decade or so, but we’ve entered into an exciting age. We live in a time where we can follow our passions, do whatever we want, and easily access a potential audience for that. When Ralph started doing his Cap’n Video show, he was a machinist at a Ford Motors plant. When Jay started directing this film, he was a video game developer. Both wanted to do other things with their lives, and both found that the outlet to do so was there for the taking. For obvious reasons, I identify with this and think it’s an avenue that still too few people pursue.

As the sun goes down and I finally do get to talk to Jay and Ralph, I begin to understand what gives this film its nuance. Ralph certainly seems like a beer-drinkin’-hoser when he’s playing Cap’n Video. But what gives the film its lift – and what comes across face-to-face – is that there’s a lot of genuineness to him. He often dials it all back and speaks with humility; whether its discussing things he’s done in his past, or even shaking hands and meeting a lowly blogger for the first time. “He’s good people” as an old frind of mine would say.

Jay takes all of those facets of Ralph’s personality and filters it through his film-geek brain to turn it into something special. He might be a Cap’n fan from back in the day, but the film he has created isn’t a fanboy love letter. It has brought together subtle elements of all sorts of films, and infused them into the documentary format. He is interested not just in crazy shit Ralph did, but also in what sort of person he was and who he has come to be. It’s that important distinction that gives the film its wonderful structure.

I leave the rooftop just as the film is about to start, and as I walk along a quiet downtown street, I can’t help but laugh to myself as I start to hear Cap’n Video’s boisterous voice echo down from the roof above and bounce off the steel & glass canyon I walk along. I laugh because I truly love this film – and not just because it was directed by a blogger/podcaster (“one of ours” as it were). I love it because it has the balls to show a man warts-and-all. Through that stark reflection we are reminded, that no matter what bends we may need to navigate on our life’s path, there’s always a way to make that journey one of true joy.