Misdirection - Real Magic by Virgil Films - DVD

A touching documentary film that follows two young men on a 3-year odyssey as they train to become professional magicians. They hope this unconventional career will left them past poverty and old mistakes, and will make them rich and famous. You'll see their small triumphs and big setbacks along the way. Our main characters are Miles, whose mental health issues both inspire and hinder his magic, and Devonte, a former gang member. They make a living doing magic at kids' parties, and their idols are David Copperfield and David Blaine (the latter of whom appears in the documentary in one of the film's most beautiful scenes).

Their practical mentors are the older men who hang out at Rogue's, a magic shop on bleak Queen's Boulevard. This is a place where ex-gang members and kids from broken families have found a second home and look for tricks to change their lives. Rogue and other mentors shepherd their protégés (with varying degrees of success) to prestigious magic competitions in Reno and Nashville... and to less glorious gigs in dingy back street clubs.

Ultimately, Miles and Devonte increasingly use magic to express pain and joy, and they work into their magic acts compelling stories about real life in the communities that made them.

You, as a magician, can learn something from this true documentary, especially using true life examples in your magic to grab your audiences' emotions.