The Last Repair Shop

Far too short as it hardly touches on the actual repairs, instrument ones that is. That could have been technically interesting, but this is a story of how music and the provision of the instruments, often to those too poor to afford them can change or be a new start in their young lives. This is brought into focus by the same effects that music had on the repair staff themselves, as they each recount the difficulties and for some the deep emtional trauma that they still carry. For one of whom, reminded me of the stories told and witnessed by Jewish families, with the same lasting bewilderment of how, why then their lives changed in an instant., what it was is no longer.

"The Last Repair Shop" is a poem in prose, a hymn to memory and resistance against the tyranny of disposability. It is an invitation to celebrate the beauty of what was created with love, to listen to the stories that old objects have to tell.

At the end of the journey, we are touched by a sweet melancholy and a deep gratitude. Melancholy for the loss of a world where objects were valued and repaired, and gratitude for finding, amidst the fast pace of modern life, a haven where time slows down and memory finds shelter.

May this film inspire in each of us a passion for preservation, respect for the past, and the search for beauty in simple things. May we all be guardians of time, restoring not only objects, but also the memories that reside within them.

I'm sometimes amazed at the movies that win top awards at the Oscars each year. I'm thinking here, for example, of "Birdman" and "The Shape Of Water", both of which I thought were terrible, a view evidently shared by many others.

But, in fairness to the Academy, sometimes they get it just so right. And here, with "The Last Repair Shop", we have the very best example. My wife and I watched it last night, just a few days after the 2024 Oscars were awarded, and we were just blown away by the quality of this short documentary.

The several people who work in the instrument repair shop should touch everyone's heart. They are just the best people in the world and rightly deserve to be honoured here in this magnificent short film. The personal stories of their life struggles are inspiring and touching, as is their dedication to the work that they very obviously love.

This film is one that I could easily watch again and again. Any time I might be feeling low or when the modern world just seems too insane and overwhelming.

8.5 from me. Fantastic.

JMVSCOTLAND.

Every once in a while, you need a movie like Kris Bowers & Ben Proudfoot's "The Last Repair Shop" to make you feel good about the world we live in. It's a reminder of the many stories we all have of ourselves that eventually shape us to be who we are and how these stories can go on to make an impact on the lives of those we wouldn't even know.

With some crisp and striking cinematography, and an array of stories; each interesting and each heartfelt, the movie documents the people behind the only remaining repair shop that fixes musical instruments for its public school students at no cost. Contributing to the dreams of more than 80,000 students, and now inspiring an audience with their passion for what they do, the craftsmen at "The Last Repair Shop" make this documentary short film one of the year's finest.

This is quite an engaging documentary that introduces us to four specialist technicians who maintain some of the musical instruments that are provided free to pupils in the Los Angeles school system. Prefaced by a few words from each of the children who benefit from the violins, tubas, pianos and saxophones to name but a few, we then meet four of the people - from a variety of interesting, sometimes quite traumatic, backgrounds - as they show us just how meticulously they work to keep these instruments alive and useful. To be honest, I could have been doing with just a little more performance from the would-be students, but these characters who put their heart and soul into preserving these musical tools come across as dedicated and passionate. The same can be said for the students - especially the young violinist at the start whose smile just about says it all. We end with a rousing section from the alumni of students who have benefitted over the years and this is a fine testament to the role of music in an education system that doesn't just focus on the academic.