“Billy the Kid” is one of those offbeat, weird documentaries that exists to, well if only to, exist. It’s about a unique high schooler that could be any character from “Napoleon Dynamite.” Billy is a worldly, thoughtful, and smart young man that suffers from neglect and depression.

The film wasn’t conceived until after the director had a chance meeting with him. She said she couldn’t forget his incredible views on life and whatnot; he just stuck with her. You can see what she means. Billy grabs your attention by a number of ways. His walk is brisk yet a lurching and cautious movement. His ideas on difference and society are quite above his 15 year old mentality. He loves KISS and women, hoping to save a damsel in distress like Superman. Billy and his world grab hold of you.

Yet, I was consistently wondering if this documentary would’ve been better as a short subject. I think documentaries can provide great insight into a forget section of life or to highlight an important issue, but they rarely are “fun”. “King of Kong” is one of those “fun”, insightful documentaries. But “Billy the Kid” is just about Billy, a young man, firmly unique but equally, why should we care?

The director felt by telling Billy’s story is will showcase these young teenagers who have issues. Billy does suffer from some sort of ADD, his rage is evoked when something is out of place or doesn’t go his way, but it’s never the forefront of documentary. We are too involved with Billy getting the girl and all of his quirks to fully grasp the concept Jennifer Venditti wanted us too. I felt she was being a tad pretentious. It’s shot in a free form, cinema verite style and that style does enhance what could be a boring approach if done glossy.

“Billy the Kid” does feature some great moments, especially the scene where he takes his girl out of her job to go across the street, behind a store, ask her to be his girlfriend, and as they walk hand-in-hand together back to her job, a group of bikers clap and holler for him. But why should we care? Billy is unique piece of work, the film is fine as that, but in a bigger sense, “Billy the Kid” fails to truly enlighten. This is just a quirky kid growing up. I knew them, you knew them. They survive, like we all do.