2013 Thin Line Film Fest - Swingman

Filmmaker Mark Birnbaum and subject Captain Allen in attendance.

Firefighter Marshall Allen always said when the Grim Reaper came calling, they would find claw marks on the wall where he fought him to the end. A man of his word, Capt.Allen fought back and won. After twice being returned to an adoption agency once his true ethnicity was discovered, Capt. Allen was abused in the foster care system, only to be adopted by an abusive family. His severe depression remained undiagnosed despite building rage and hopelessness while he became a Golden Gloves boxer, the first black firefighter in Salt Lake County, Utah, and a power-lifting champion. As he continued to outscore everyone on written and physical tests, fire protocol was literally changed because of Capt. Allen. He was slated to be the next battalion chief in the Fort Worth Fire Department when a freak accident occurred. As word got around that Capt. Allen lay motionless in a hospital bed, the Dallas Baylor Hospital employees had to hand out tickets in the waiting room for the popular fire fighter. No one knew for certain what had happened but they were certain he would be okay. He was Capt. Allen. He was Superman. What no one could have believed was that he would never walk again. And no one could have believed how he would thrive. The accident left him physically paralyzed and emotionally cured. It left him a quadriplegic in a wheelchair only to discover the first blood relative he would ever know. It left him in wonder.

Film Details

Duration: 53 mins
Director/Producer: Mark Birnbaum

Information from the festival website