Article about The Child King in the Boston Globe

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A film about gifts and challenges has a back story full of more of the same

Email|Print| Text size – + By ph P. Kahn

Globe Staff / December 10, 2007

SCITUATE - Holiday movies come in all flavors, from schmaltzy to bawdy. A

handful tug on viewers' heartstrings as reliably as street-corner Santas ring

their bells every December.

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Now comes " The Child King, " a feature-length film aimed at a

limited audience this season - but one its creators hope will attract a growing

fan base as word of mouth builds via Internet DVD sales. Shot locally and on a

shoestring budget, the film boasts an unusual cast and back story, a making-of

yarn that could make for a compelling film itself.

The movie follows two brothers setting off to find Santa Claus. The younger

one questions whether Santa exists, while the older boy, who is intellectually

disabled, leads their quest to reach the North Pole and prove he does. Along

the way, Santa himself pops up in various guises to speed their journey. The

film's title refers to a fairy tale cherished by the boys' late mother, a story

in which two boys are switched at birth by a monarch who recoils at raising an

" abnormal " child. Both story arcs, road movie and fairy tale, happily

build to storybook endings.

Starring in the film is , who was 17 when much of " The

Child King " was shot. Now 20, has Down syndrome and is a senior at

Scituate High School. Not only is this his first professional acting job, but

his role is among the very few times an actor with his disability has carried a

film to this extent. Casting him was a gamble, the filmmakers admit, but one

that paid off handsomely with a winning performance.

" When I first met , I had my doubts, " says Kerr, 53,

the film's director and coproducer, who lives in Norwell. " A lead actor

with Down syndrome? Could he carry off his lines? Hit his marks? Wait for cues?

Interact with other actors? Those aren't the easiest things to do and still be

comfortable in front of a camera. But loosened up as we went along and

did a wonderful job. "

Joining Kerr at the home for a group interview are and his

mother, Jane. , who sports a Red Sox cap, greets a reporter with a nervous

smile and snappy salute. Recalling Kerr's first visit, " I had nothing to

do with him, " says impishly. " I was a mouse on the wall. "

Invited to elaborate, he smiles and says, " When I came to my own senses, I

knew this was not an ordinary movie. "

Moments later, asked to recall the most surprising thing about making the

movie, he flicks away the question like a veteran Hollywood star. " I

wouldn't call it surprising, really, " deadpans. " I'm not your

typical average Joe, you know. "

That he is not, and neither is there much that's typical about how " The

Child King " grew from one man's obsession into a film that has won

plaudits from groups like the Kids First! Film Festival and Special Olympics.

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The back story begins in 1993, when Kerr's brother Jeff, an agent with the

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, was sent to Waco, Texas. Members of

the Branch ian cult were holed up there during a 51-day standoff with the

FBI and ATF. Kerr was on perimeter watch for much of the siege and with plenty

of time on his hands began outlining a movie plot he'd been hatching -

inspired, he says, by the young son of a fellow ATF agent, a boy with Down

syndrome who would become the model for the older brother in " The Child

King. "

" I've always had a fascination with movies and scripts, " explains

Jeff Kerr, 49, who lives in Hull and is the divorced father of two teenagers.

" I'm sort of a Christmas freak, too. But I didn't set out to make an

impact on people with intellectual disabilities. I wanted to make an impact on

the lives of my own kids, as a divorced dad. "

His first screenplay ran 140 pages: Way too long, according to , who

rejected several overtures by Jeff to personally take on the project. Among

's screenwriting and directing credits are the comedy " Last Night at

Eddie's " and " Patriots, " a thriller set in war-torn Ireland.

Years later, when he finally agreed to make Jeff's film, " I did it as a

gift to my brother, " says . " I gave no thought to the endgame,

though. It was like, let's make a movie and see how it comes out. "

Much happened in between, as Jeff tells it, including several dances with

agents, lengthy negotiations with Rosie O'Donnell and her reps, even a run at

Oprah Winfrey. Nothing panned out, however, and until signed on there was

little hope anything would.

" is absolutely one of my idols, " says his brother with some

emotion. " He made this movie, in every sense of the word. "

Jeff Kerr dug into his own pocket for roughly half the $52,000 the movie

cost to make and market. He and his brother found through Jeff's ATF

colleague, who knew the family and suggested they interview for the lead

role. By mid-2005, the Kerrs had cast the other speaking parts as well. Jeff

persuaded local celebrities - comedian Lenny e and former pro football

players Fred Smerlas, and Steve DeOssie - to appear in cameo roles, for free.

Once shooting wrapped, spent much of 2006 editing the film, another labor

of fraternal love.

The first day on location, recalls, " I turned to Jeff and said,

'You lucky SOB. This just might work.' " Says Jeff, " told me

we'd made a niche film by accident, one that could become a poster child for

Internet-sales models. "

" The Child King " has been shown at a few film festivals. To date,

however, most of its exposure has come via the Kerrs's website (thechildking.com), where DVDs

are available for $18.95 plus shipping. All proceeds go to a nonprofit

foundation set up by Jeff that benefits the intellectual disabilities

community.

One of the film's biggest fans is Gail on, executive director of the

Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles. on consults with the

entertainment business on all projects that feature characters with

developmental disabilities. Her son Blair, 38, has Down syndrome and as an

actor has appeared on TV shows like " Nip/Tuck " and " CSI. "

" What 'The Child King' does, " says on, " is take a

film about the holidays and bring Down syndrome into it. [] carries it

beautifully, too. Some people with Down syndrome have an innate ability to act,

and is obviously one of them. "

For Jeff Kerr, the film is a holiday gift he could only dream of opening 14

years ago. " I always wanted to be Santa Claus, " he says. " This

is about as close as it gets. "

ph P. Kahn can be reached at jkahn@...

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