Standout: The Ben Kjar Story Parent Guide

Ben Kjar was born with Crouzon Syndrome, a rare craniofacial disorder, and although his parents knew that he would have a difficult life filled with surgeries, discrimination, bullying, and obstacles, they were determined that his life would also include hope, some normalcy, and boundless love.

Ben comes from a very large extended family.  From an early age, it was clear that Ben did not want to be treated differently. His siblings and cousins simply accepted him as he was, as children often do.  When he started school, he drew a lot of unwanted attention and as he got older, bullying.  Some of my favourite scenes from Standout involve young Ben (played by Colton Fielding), dealing with bullies as adult Ben (played by Ben Kjar himself), cheers him on from the sidelines.

After some failed attempts at other sports, Ben finds his talents lie in wrestling.  Much of the film includes home movies of Ben taking on his rivals in tournament after tournament.  It’s inspiring to see his grit and determination as he works to improve his skills.

A large proportion of Standout consists of home movies, alternating with clips of interviews with Ben’s family members, friends, and coaches.  This works well as it tells the story with firsthand accounts and actual video of events in Ben’s life.  It’s easy to relate to his parents’ distress the first time he needed surgery, for example, because we see their home movie of the events of the day and we hear them relate their feelings years later in the interview.  

Something I appreciate in this film is that no one is portrayed as a saint or a martyr.  There are no holds barred in the descriptions of people’s reactions to family situations.  Everyone in the film is very human and open and honest about how they handled things and, sometimes, how they wished they’d handled things differently.

Standout is inspiring and uplifting and would be wonderful for the whole family to watch and then to discuss, as there is much to learn from Ben Kjar and his extraordinary life.

About author

Shannon Bugg

Shannon Bugg is the mother of four and grandmother of six outstanding human beings.  She has a B. Ed., volunteers in her community and at church and is a world-travelling bon-vivant and woman-about-town.