VOTD: 'Being Batman' Documentary Short Profiles A Real Life Dark Knight

What kind of person decides to put on a superhero suit and patrol the streets of their hometown? You would think that it's only in comic books and movies that these kind of people exists, but there are real people out there who take it upon themselves to suit up like superheroes and fight crime. It seems easy to brush them off as being off their rocker, but a new documentary short just might have you sympathizing with one of these heroes that would might otherwise disregard as crazy.

Being Batman is a documentary short that profiles a man named Stephen Lawrence, who dresses up like Batman, drives around a suburb called Brampton in Toronto, Canada, and walks the streets looking to apprehend criminals. And this isn't just some scrawny kid being some kind of aggressive hall monitor. This is a buff, athletic man with martial arts skills and ninja weapons. That might sound ridiculous, but this short doc shows he's the real deal.

Watch the Being Batman documentary after the jump.

To call a guy like Stephen Lawrence crazy would be dismissive. He's driven by something deep within his soul. He wants to make a difference. And if there's a right way to become a real Batman without being a billionaire, this appears to be it. That's quite the legit Batman suit that he's wearing, and the rest of his gear and gadgets are quite impressive.

To just laugh this off and walk away would feel wrong. When you listen to Lawrence talk about his self-assigned duty, you can't help but sympathize with his ideas of responsibility and accountability. At the very least, this is fascinating and provocative rather than taking the simple road of mockery.

Godspeed, Batman.