Catching Out
2001, NR.
Directed by Sarah George, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring .

With a lovely eye and a sensibility that draws pertinent details from her subjects, Sarah George captures the life of the modern hobo, a new breed of train hoppers who are young, often environmentally concerned, articulate, and intentional rather than accidental dropouts from American society. Rejecting conventional ideas about consumerism and settling down, these modern tramps differ from the stereotypical hobos of yore – yet all carry a deep passion for the romance of the trains and a jones for the thrilling rush of hopping the rails. Made over a period of five years, George’s film shows the filmmaker’s love of her subject matter as she allows the tramps to extol the pleasures of their lifestyle while her keen eye captures the thrill of trains and bodies in motion.

This article appears in July 5 • 2002.

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Marjorie Baumgarten is a film critic and contributing writer at The Austin Chronicle, where she has worked in many capacities since the paper's founding in 1981. She served as the Chronicle's Film Reviews editor for 25 years.