Review by Spencer Gordon
Photo provided by Waiting for Superman
Waiting for Superman
Directed and Narrated by Davis Guggenheim
Rated PG for some thematic material, mild language and incidental smoking
Sitting in Eugene’s Bijou Art Cinema last week, I have to admit that the trailer for Waiting for Superman by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, It Might Get Loud) looked very exciting. The two issues in modern American society that I am most passionate about are the failing health care and education systems. Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore addresses health care in his film Sicko, and Guggenheim addresses the failing education system in Superman. Sicko is, in my opinion, the best documentary ever made, despite the incredibly biased take on the topic (that I just happen to agree with).
The two films (since last week, I’ve watched all of Waiting for Superman) are similar. They both look at an issue that is controversial to many, but also has true heart. Both documentaries portray the well-being of society as the greatest cause in life. Remember Sicko’s great scene in Cuba with the 9/11 workers? It was such an emotionally powerful scene that it makes the entire film memorable. Documentaries thrive on such powerful and emotional scenes. True, Superman doesn’t create as great of scenes as Sicko, but it does succeed in creating high emotional points of empathy throughout the course of the documentary.
Guggenheim explores essentially three major flaws in the education system: failing districts, failing unions, and charter schools. The film follows five students: Daisy from south central Los Angeles, Bianca from Harlem, Anthony from Washington D.C., Emily from Silicon Valley, and Francisco from The Bronx, who all want a change in their education. All these kids, from grade school to middle school, have one important thing in common: ambition. Despite this, however, Guggenheim makes the case throughout the beginning of the film that the public education that these students are a part of will actually hurt their long-term success.
For about two-thirds of the film, Guggenheim attacks school districts for inappropriately addressing low test scores and teacher unions that protect teachers who don’t perform adequately, or even at all. Superman’s exploration of charter schools best addresses the problems of our school system. The film first presents testimony and statistics that build the case that charter schools prepare students for a four-year university better than other institutions. After showing the history of charter schools, the film explains the legal practice of hosting a public lottery in all independently run schools where the number of applicants exceeds available space. In other words, to gain admission, one just has to be lucky.
Predictably, the students featured in the film are each a part of this lottery system. We follow the personal journeys of each child as they literally have the odds unbelievably stacked against them (e.g. one kid had odds of 35 spots for over 700 applicants). Guggenheim pins the emotional high point of the film around the actual lottery of each student at his or her respective charter schools. Fair warning: it’s a very emotional scene. Don’t be surprised if the tears begin to flow as each speaker either pulls out cards or bingo balls, simple actions that essentially change the lives of whoever is called and leave the unlucky ones sobbing.
Despite the emotions created through the climax, I had a problem with the Silicon Valley girl. I felt that her parents were overreacting to their child’s test scores during the film. She was slated to go to a top rated public high school in the country, but they were afraid she wasn’t going to get a good enough education there. While Emily’s upper middle class parents debated which great school is best for her, Bianca’s mother could no longer afford to send her to Catholic school and so Bianca ends up at a Harlem elementary school ranked one of the worst in the nation.
This bias against public school is a part of the film. Superman never addresses working public high schools, and there is room for argument that Guggenheim is against public education. Nevertheless, I feel that this argument, when applied to this overall issue of a failing education system, doesn’t have enough support to be considered a downfall to the entire movie.
Waiting for Superman is a film that should be seen by educators, students, and anyone who feels that our education system is in trouble. Beyond these people, however, I also want those who believe there is nothing wrong with the system to see this movie. Superman seeks to spark a debate, so after watching it why don’t you raise your hand so you can share your opinion with the rest of the class?
Grade: A- for addressing an issue that needs to be tackled more effectively as well as for creating memorable scenes that tug on your heartstrings.
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