FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
OT: OUR TOWN
OT: Our Town is an affecting tale that focuses not, as one may readily
think, on shootouts, baby-daddy dramas, or drug deals associated with the city of Compton.
Instead, first-time documentarian Kennedy takes us
inside Dominquez High School, an institution where school sports take precedence over
learning, the number of drop-outs are increasing and the students' hopes for the future
diminishing. English teacher Catherine Borek and her colleague Karen Greene
decide to put on the school's first play in 20 years. She convinces a group of her students
to participate in their own version of the time-treasured tale, Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Borek sees more
than just geographical and ethnic stereotypes in her students and Kennedy expresses this
expertly as he intersperses snippets from the 1977 television version (starring
Hal Holbrook) and sets up his film in the same three acts of the play: "Daily Life," "Love and
Marriage," and "Death." In doing so, he captures the students’ sense of loneliness, isolation and desire
to fit in. Watching these charismatic and endearing young people struggle to find meaning in
their lives while managing to connect with the play makes for truly compelling drama. By
film's end they've drawn you into their town and made you want to stay. Funny,
sad and just plain inspiring, this would be my Oscar pick for best documentary of the year. Tanya Chesterfield, Book Reviewer, (Barnes & Noble.com)
|