Waiting For "Superman"

"Waiting for Superman" is one of the only films I remember watching recently that actually made me cry. The documentary is about five public school children in various parts of the United States who are, for one reason or another, having problems with their school. All five of the children have applied to charter schools that determine who is accepted based on a lottery. The film documents the children's stories, the reasons for their problems at school, and finally the lottery they are participating in. The children, Anthony, Daisy, Francisco, Emily, and Bianca, are all very young, and all have plans for their future that might be impossible because of the schooling they receive. In this way, "Waiting for Superman" discusses the issue of public schooling in the United States, and whether it needs to be reviewed. The film pretty conclusively says that it should, and while I do not agree with all of the conclusions drawn in it, I think it is a very well-made and emotional movie. The plot is straightforward, with the children and the lottery at its center. The children are wonderfully endearing characters, and I certainly felt very attached to them when I watched the movie. There of course isn't any acting, sets, or makeup, because it is a documentary, but it still manages to convey a sense of drama through the subject matter and quotes from the kids, as if it were a fictional film. In fact, I almost forgot that it was a fictional film towards the end, when the lottery came around for all the kids. I convinced myself that of course they would all get into their schools of choice. At risk of spoiling the movie, I have to say that that does not quite happen, and the outcome was the part that made me cry. The editing of the movie increases the drama, with little music in the very serious parts, and archival footage of Superman at the beginning. The lack of special effects makes the documentary seem more real and involved than it would if there were lots of added effects that could not have been there originally. All of the aspects of the film come together to give it a very fatalistic mood, which was one of the things that made it so sad. Whether or not the person watching the documentary believes that the public school system is as flawed as "Waiting for Superman" suggests, it is impossible to watch it without getting a feeling that something, at least, has to be changed in our education system. Controversial as "Waiting for Superman" is, I heartily recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a little sadness, if it inspires them to do something to change their communities.
"Waiting for Superman", 1hr51, PG