Acclaimed documentary Mission To Lars is set for a limited US cinema release and will also be made available via on demand services.
The 2012 British film follows journalist Kate Spicer as she tries to make her brother Tom’s dream of meeting Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich come true. Tom has a form of autism called Fragile X Syndrome.
Kate – with the help of third sibling Will – sets out to take Tom from a care home in England to the United States to meet his hero.
Kate says: We had this fantasy of hitting the road with Tom and recreating some of the magic of our teenage years cruising around in £100 cars, eating Burger King and listening to heavy metal on the tape deck. We thought it would be fun, bonding. We wanted to do something good for our brother. We were also sick of him endlessly asking.”
But, the film’s synopsis explains, “Tom’s disabilities, a dysfunctional family, and heavy metal’s Labyrinthine backstage world thwart the mission at every turn. Then as they get closer to Lars, Tom the man starts to shine and a touching and inspirational finale ensues.”
Ulrich described the film as “deeply moving,” telling the NME: “It’s a great testament into a world I didn’t know much about, and a great testament to the importance of music and what it means to different people.”
All profits from the film go to the charity Mencap and the film will be screened in select US cinemas and on cable via VOD from September 25.
