The Record Breaker

I'm a big sucker for a well done quirkumentary – essentially a documentary film that focuses on a bit of an oddball topic, group or individual and builds the film around that as opposed to a moment in time or something of historical importance. When they work they look easy but it is a fine line to walk because you can't just mock your subjects but rather you have to have the viewer be drawn in by the quirk but ultimately be won over by the subjects. McGinn gets this and as a result he has made an enjoyable short quirkumentary which focuses on Ashrita Furman – a health store owner who also happens to hold over 400 Guinness World Records, which in itself is a Guinness World Record.

We start with a look at some of the silly things Furman has done and they are quirky and fun but while doing this we also get a sense of the man's joy for life and sense of fulfillment that he gets from doing these things. We all have our hobbies and our passions and if nobody else suffers for us to achieve them, then what is the harm – something this film shows well. Beyond this we get into the religious spark that started all this, the reaction of his parents as a young man when he dropped out of a promising education path and other aspects of his life that give us more understanding and appreciation of him as a person, not just the quirk that brought us to the film.

It has a rather generic tone perhaps, with the usual "quirky but affectionate" score used throughout, but Furman makes it work because he is happy and energetic and the film captures that well. In fairness it also shows you enough so that you can conclude that maybe Furman is not totally all there either, but only the harshest of viewers would conclude that. The film works because it brings us to Furman as a one- line quirk but when we leave the film on the other end it is with a real liking for the guy and a cheerful "do you" approach to someone that was just a silly quirk when we started.

The Record Breaker is a short film that depicts the perfect example of someone who lives life happily and to the fullest.

Directed by Brian McGinn, the film follows Ashrita Furman, a man who currently holds the official record for the most Guinness World Records set by an individual.

With approximately 415 records such as apple cutting with a Samurai sword and walking backwards in 440-lb iron shoes under his belt, Ashrita has been obsessed with the Guinness Book of World Records since he was a young boy.

A health food store owner and devotee of meditation, he travels the world creating new categories for record achievement. Driven by the passion he holds for breaking records, this film documents Ashrita as he attempts to climb the Machu Picchu on stilts.

Part of the World Showcase at the 2012 Hot Docs film festival in Toronto, this film is light-hearted with several funny moments. But despite not being a full-length feature, it does a great job at looking into Ashrita's past and the challenges he has faced. Once a good student who had the potential to become a lawyer, his parents were not always supportive when he decided to drop out of school to pursue other goals.

But not once does this film make its viewers feel that its subject has failed to lead a fulfilling life. In fact, Ashrita appears as happy as can be.

Even his estranged father Bernard begins to take note of this. Coming to terms with his son's way of life of following his own joys, he offers, "He is the happiest person I know. Isn't that what every parent wants?"

And despite being a 28 minute feature, the film certainly depicts Ashrita as someone who has a good sense of who he is. Even though he has a humble occupation with no signs of a wife or girlfriend, this individual is a charming and happy-go-lucky character who finds deeper meaning in the world by living on his own terms.

Delightful and touching, this film is one that will leave you in a good mood.

With Ashrita serving as the perfect model of someone who lives life to the fullest, we should all aspire to be more like him.