OT: Our Town

This was definitely one of the most provocative, moving films I've seen. In a summer of such superficial Hollywood fare, it was refreshing to see such a wonderfully uplifting and real film. How do i purchase this amazing movie? What is film movement?

the smallest haven of hope... ...in a self destructing world. the delicate and impressionable lives of teenagers are being molded into who they are going to be. a door has opened for them, giving them another choice, other than being swallowed up by the ghetto. a hand full of students and two teachers have made a choice and learned there is a better way of life. it's a real life film, documenting the lives of kids in a compton highschool trying to put on the play "our town" by thornton wilder. they learn how to work hard for what they want, that life is a struggle!!! and as the teacher in the film said, the only reason for putting on the play was that it was coming from love. Film Movement knows how to pich their movies. those kids made this world a better place.

OT: Our Town is a documentary I'm glad I watched. It's an inspirational story in the vein of those dramas about teachers who make a difference in a falling apart urban school. But really, the kids are what make the movie work.

The filming and editing are good enough, nothing special. It also seems like the filming crew were dropped in the middle of the action with no time to get much back-story. The pieces of background and context they do get are really priceless.

It's nice to see the kids go through this play. To me, the most striking aspect was just how vulnerable and tender the kids actually are, despite the rough neighborhood and the rough situations life has given them.

There are some touching moments as the kids come together and connect with each other. They touch on some issues of feeling competent, dealing with romance, and negotiating relationships with parents. In some ways it's a bit cathartic like a "Breakfast Club" set in Compton instead of John Hughes' suburban Chicago. It's nice to see them come together, but just like The Breakfast Club you have to wonder if it will really last past the experience they had together.

Lets hope these kids remember their successes and go on to be successful and happy in life. They deserve it.

A truly heartwarming story about the value of arts in schools. In troubled Compton, CA, a high school which has not staged a play in 20 years decides to put on a production of Our Town. It's fascinating to watch how the kids and culture of the school deal with the challenges of theater and the rather stark contrast between the play's setting and their own lives. Very well done.

Only criticism: without giving away too much, there are a couple of incidents of implied (not directly viewed) violence that are juxtaposed in a manner that leads the view to think they are the same incident, when in fact they are not. A little more time in the editing room could fix this.

Art--a mirror of our times, endures through the ages--and great art touches us with truth, beauty and wisdom. So it is with "Our Town" and so it is with this masterful documentary on the production of that legendary classic in a "tough" school, apparently against all odds, lovingly detailed in personal stories, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes joyful. The film works on so many different levels--the simple hard work--tremendously hard work and dedication it takes to mount ANY worthwhile artistic endeavor--the confusion with the source material that young students have, specifically with "Our Town", the sheer amazement at the audience's powerful reactions to an honest production of the work (whether by seasoned pros or high school "kids"), and the examination of just how much of a mirror of our life and times this great work can be. The director of this particular production, in utilizing the photographs of THEIR town--Compton, CA, shows just how universal the themes inherent in Our Town can be. In detailing the universality of the artistic experience, this documentary has made me appreciate Thornton Wilder's masterpiece anew--in fact, it has shed an entire new light on it for me! As a member of the performing arts community, it has also made me feel all the more proud and honored to be part of this art form that will endure as long as there are people, rich, poor, in the hills of New Hampshire, or the Mean Streets of LA--who will respond, react, take to their hearts, and in some cases become transformed by the artistic experience.