As "The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker" (2023 release; 85 min) opens, it is "February 1, 2013" and there is a bizarre scene in Fresno when a deranged/racist driver goes after a black woman. The driver's passenger, a young man named Kai, intervenes and saves the woman from a very dangerous situation, while along the way wielding a hatchet against the driver. A subsequent interview with a local TV reporter causes an immediate internet sensation and puts into motion a series of unexpected developments for Kai... At this point we are 10 minutes into the documentary.
Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from director Colette Camden ("The Rise of the Anti-Vaxx Movement"). Here Camden looks back as the meteoric rise and subsequent equally fast fall of the internet sensation that was Kai Lawrence, a seemingly happy-go-lucky 'cool dude', oozing with charm. Then it turns out that there is much more to this guy... Let me state upfront that I had never heard of this guy before. But as the documentary makes clear, for a while after the infamous TV interview, he was hotter than hot, and pursued by many different people, all eager to cash in on this new internet sensation. All claim to be simply "rooting for this young man" but in reality all have other motives as well. This is not to excuse Kai's behavior of course. It absolutely blows the mind that the events relayed in the documentary played out over a period of not even 4 months. In the end, this human interest story makes for okay viewing but really nothing more than that.
"The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker" premiered on Netflix earlier this week, and Netflix recommended it to me based on my viewing habits. I just saw it last night and this makes for quick viewing. If you are interested in a human interest story involving the quick rose and even faster fall of an internet sensation, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.