Ashrita (formerly Keith) Furman had a rather bookish childhood. His father, Bernie, hoped Ashrita would eventually join his law practice, while his mother dreamed that he would attend Harvard. Instead, Ashrita began a spiritual journey that led him from bar mitzvah to brahma muhurta to guru Sri Chinmoy to Guinessport.

Convinced that setting world records would honor his guru, Ashrita won his first Guiness Book World Record in 1979, performing 27,000 jumping jacks. He quickly found that these athletic, often quirky, feats fulfilled him. Now, bicycling underwater, slicing apples midair with a samurai sword, and climbing Mt. Fuji on a pogo stick are all in a day’s joy for Ashrita. Aided by longtime buddy Bipin and dog Champ, Ashrita meets each challenge with infectious enthusiasm and a charming lopsided grin. An undeniably comedic documentary, director Brian McGinn develops way more than easy laughs in this layered short. Ashrita’s dad poetically surmises, “He’s the happiest person I know. Isn’t that what every parent wants?” Indeed.  WFM