Surviving Progress
DVD Review by Kam Williams

Eco-Documentary Examines Human Contribution to Climate Change

Whether or not recent atmospheric trends are due to global warming, it's pretty clear that humanity is playing a large part in climate change. But rather than engaging in silly debates about whether we're headed for immolation or another Ice Age, it might be better to examine exactly how we are affecting the planet and what can be done to avert ecological ruin.

That is the thesis of Surviving Progress, a cautionary documentary co-directed by Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks. With the help of Earth advocates like physicist Stephen Hawking, conservationist Jane Goodall and environmental activist Margaret Atwood, the picture issues an urgent appeal for effective intervention before it's too late.

The filmmakers believe that a good place to start might be with a redefinition of what we mean by progress, since our slavish addiction to technological advances involves unchecked mass consumption. They refer to the way in which we deceive ourselves into believing that we can rape the rainforests and the other natural resources, ad infinitum, as the "Progress Trap."

Primatologist Goodall observes that, "We are the most intellectual creature that's ever walked the planet," before wondering why such an intelligent being would willfully destroy its only home. Ms. Atwood adds that instead of thinking of the Earth as a huge bank we can just keep making endless carbon withdrawals from by credit card, "we have to think of the finite nature of the planet and how to keep it alive so that we too may remain alive."

Some of those weighing-in fervently believe the answer inexorably rests with individuals. "We have to use less," says energy expert Vaclav Smil. Similarly, Colin Bevan, director of the No Impact Project, insists that we should each be cognizant of our individual carbon footprints. "Before I go around trying to change others, maybe I should look at myself and change myself," he concedes.

Still, given how mega-corporations have come to rationalize deforestation and the unchecked mining of minerals, it is no surprise that geneticist David Suzuki might describe economics "as a form of brain damage." Somehow, Mr. Hawking remains optimistic about the prospects for humanity, in spite of the fact that, "We are entering an increasingly dangerous period of our history."

In the end, behavioral scientist Daniel Povinelli perhaps sums up the situation best, by suggesting that if humans go extinct, the epitaph on our gravestone should simply read "Why?" A thought-provoking clarion call to stop using our brains in ways which are detrimental to our very survival.

Excellent (4 stars)

Unrated

Running time: 86 minutes

Distributor: First Run Features

DVD Extras: Introduction by Martin Scorcese at the NYC premiere; roundtable discussion with the filmmakers; portrait gallery with voiceover; filmmakers biographies; and extended interviews.

To see a trailer for Surviving Progress, visit

OPENING THIS WEEK

Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun

For movies opening October 5, 2012

by Kam Williams

 

BIG BUDGET FILMS

Frankenweenie (PG for scary images, mature themes and action sequences) Oscar-nominee Tim Burton (for Corpse Bride) directed this animated horror comedy about a young boy (Charlie Tahan) whose scientific experiment to bring his beloved pet dog (Frank Welker) back to life results in unintended consequences. Voice cast includes Winona Ryder, Robert Capron, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Landau and Christopher Lee.

The Paperboy (R for violence, profanity and graphic sexuality) Oscar-nominee Lee Daniels (for Precious) directed this crime thriller revolving around a big city reporter (Matthew McConaughey) who returns to his tiny Florida hometown to try to exonerate a Death Row inmate (John Cusack) with the help of his brother (Zac Efron), a colleague (David Oyelowo) and a sultry groupie (Nicole Kidman) With Macy Gray, Ned Bellamy and Scott Glenn.

Taken 2 (PG13 for sensuality, action sequences and intense violence) Principal cast reunites for this adrenaline-fueled sequel which finds retired CIA Agent Mills (Liam Neeson) vacationing with his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) in Istanbul where they end up abducted by a revenge-minded gang of Albanian sex traffickers. With Maggie Grace, Rade Serbedzija, Leland Orser and Luenell.

 

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Bel Borba Aqui (Unrated) Reverential biopic chronicling the career of Bel, the Brazilian artist whose oversized, outdoor sculptures dot the landscape of his beloved hometown of Salvador. (In Portuguese with subtitles)

Butter (R for profanity and sexuality) Social satire, set in small-town Iowa, about a young, adopted girl (Yara Shahidi) who squares-off against an ambitious housewife (Jennifer Garner) in the annual butter-carving competition. Cast includes Hugh Jackman, Olivia Wilde and Alicia Silverstone.

Escape Fire (PG-13 for mature themes) Medical crisis documentary addressing the question of whether the broken, American healthcare system can be fixed. Featuring appearances by Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Dean Ornish and insurance executive Wendell Potter.

Fat Kid Rules the World (R for sexuality, drug use and brief violence) Coming-of-age comedy about an overweight, suicidal 17 year-old (Jacob Wysocki) who forms a rock band with the street musician (Matt O'Leary) who saved his life by stopping him from jumping in front of a bus. With Billy Campbell, LILi Simmons and Jeffrey Doombos.

The House I Live in (Unrated) War on Drugs documentary takes a penetrating look at the human rights implications of the American criminal justice system's incarceration of over 45 million non-violent, narcotics offenders since 1971.

Now, Forager (Unrated) Marital crisis drama about a counter-cultural couple (Tiffany Esteb and Jason Cortlund), subsisting by selling wild mushrooms to Manhattan restaurants, whose relationship is tested when the wife tires of living hand to mouth. With Almex Lee, Gabrielle Maisels and Marty Clarke.

The Oranges (R for profanity, sexual references and drug use) Romantic comedy, set in suburban N.J., about the strain placed on two couples' close friendship when one husband (Hugh Laurie) has a scandalous affair with the other's (Oliver Platt) daughter (Leighton Meester). With Catherine Keener, Allison Janney, Alia Shawkat and Adam Brody.

Pitch Perfect (PG-13 for sexuality, profanity and drug use) Musical comedy about a college freshman (Anna Kendrick) who overhauls the repertoire of her all-girl singing group in preparation for a big showdown on campus with an all-male rival ensemble in an a cappella competition. Featuring Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson and Skylar Astin.

Sister (Unrated) Class-conscious drama, set in Switzerland, about a 12 year-old mountain urchin (Kacey Mottet Klein) who supports himself and his big sister (Lea Seydoux) by stealing from wealthy guests at a posh ski resort. With Gillian Anderson, Martin Compston and Simon Guelat. (In French and English with subtitles)

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You (Unrated) Introspective character study about a Brown University-bound high school grad (Toby Regbo) who spends a summer of discontent talking about his troubles to his grandmother (Ellen Burstyn) and psychotherapist (Lucy Liu). Support cast includes Marcia Gay Harden, Peter Gallagher and Deborah Ann Woll.

Trade of Innocents (PG-13 for mature themes and violence) International thriller about a couple (Dermot Mulroney and Mira Sorvino) grieving the death of their daughter who venture to Southeast Asia to rescue young girls caught up in child prostitution. With John Billingsley, Trieu Tran and Kieu Chinh.

V/H/S (R for gory violence, graphic nudity, explicit sexuality, drug use and pervasive profanity) Found footage horror flick about a gang of crooks who get the surprise of their lives after agreeing to break into a dilapidated house in the middle of nowhere to find a videotape for an anonymous third party. Starring Calvin Reeder, Lane Hughes and Adam Wingard.

Wuthering Heights (Unrated) Screen adaptation of the Emily Bronte classic about the love which blossoms between an orphan (James Howson) and the teenage daughter (Kaya Scodelario) of the Yorkshire farmer (Paul Hilton) who adopts him, much to the chagrin of the girl's overprotective brother (Lee Shaw). With Solomon Glave, Shannon Beer and Simone Jackson.

 

Ann Coulter

The "Mugged" Interview with Kam Williams

Beware the Coultergeist!

Born in New York City on December 9, 1961, arch-conservative Ann Coulter is the author of eight New York Times bestsellers and of a nationally-syndicated column for Universal Press Syndicate. She also serves as the legal correspondent for Human Events and is a frequent guest on such TV shows as The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Sean Hannity, The O'Reilly Factor, The Glen Beck Show and HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher.

The ever-controversial, flame-throwing firebrand has been on the cover of Time Magazine and profiled in publications like TV Guide, the Guardian, the New York Observer, National Journal, Harper's Bazaar, and Elle Magazine, too. In 2001, she was named one of the top 100 Public Intellectuals by federal judge Richard Posner.

A Connecticut native, Coulter graduated with honors from Cornell University and received her J.D. from University of Michigan Law School, where she was an editor of The Michigan Law Review. Here, she talks about her ninth book, Mugged: Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama.

 

Kam Williams: Hi Ann, thanks for the interview.

Ann Coulter: Thank you, Kam.

 

KW: I'm a fellow Cornellian, but I went there a decade ahead of you.

AC: Wow! It was such a beautiful campus. But were you there during all the turmoil?

 

KW: No, I arrived the year after the famous, black student takeover with guns that made national news. But while I was there, we did have plenty of strikes, takeovers and demonstrations about everything from Apartheid to the War in Vietnam. There was so much chaos on campus it seemed like finals were cancelled every spring semester.

AC: Didn't you people ever learn anything? [Laughs]

 

KW: Rather than reminisce, let me get right to the questions, since my readers sent in more than I could ever get to. Troy Johnson was upset by a quote from your book where you counter Michael Moore's Stupid White Men by asking: "Shall we compare SAT scores, cultural contributions and inventions?" Troy wonders whether you're aware of all the cultural contributions that can be traced back to Africa, including Christianity? And are you aware that blacks tend to outperform whites from similar socioeconomic backgrounds on standardized tests?

AC: Yes, in fact, in an early chapter of Mugged, I rely heavily on Thomas Sowell's magnificent book, Black Rednecks, White Liberals. He points out that blacks in the North perform better, academically, than whites in the South where they did not have much of an emphasis on learning. But please note that I'm not the one making that argument in that section about Michael Moore. And by the way, I'm not a man. White men have done a lot. It's silly to write a book titled, Stupid White Men.

 

KW: Filmmaker Kevin Williams, director of Fear of a Black Republican asks: Why do you think the Republican Party doesn't reach out more to African-Americans on its own terms today? Have you seen the documentary?

AC: No, but I've heard of it.

 

KW: It's excellent. You figure prominently in it. So does Michael Steele. Kevin says he'd like to get you a copy.

AC: Oh, I would love that, and I love Michael Steele.

 

KW: Kevin's basic thesis is that the Republican Party is hurting itself by failing to court the black vote.

AC: Oh, I don't believe that's true at all. Republicans have reached out so much to black Republicans because it's part of our tradition. Blacks have been in this nation longer than most other Americans with the possible exception of WASPs. The first blacks in Congress and the first black Governor were all Republicans. It was Republicans who fought the Civil War over slavery and who introduced the Civil Rights legislation over the next hundred years. So, suggestions to the contrary drive Republicans like me crazy.

 

KW: Marcia Evans says she agrees with your recent comment that the U.S. is only indebted to African-Americans. What prompted that statement?

AC: I was being a little cross with a right-wing black friend for throwing in the Hispanics and the Asians into a Jesse Jackson-type Rainbow Coalition. No! No! Blacks have a special history, since they were enslaved and were here as early as the first Americans. I hate to sound like a liberal but these are facts. That makes blacks a special group and I really don't appreciate all these hangers on coming along. Yes, of course, black Americans are a special group, and I'm disappointed that they're not Republicans, given our traditions. We're not getting much love in return, despite our efforts.

 

KW: Why do you think that's the case?

AC: Part of the reason is that it's really hard to be a black Republican. I see what they go through. It's a good little trick the entire mainstream media has pulled by describing Republicans as "Racist! Racist! Racist!" and then turning around and laughing at us for not having more blacks in our party. That's why I hope a lot of black people will read my book because I think it will change minds.

 

KW: One discussion I found interesting in Mugged was where you point out that Strom Thurmond was the only segregationist U.S. Senator to change his affiliation from Democratic to Republican. I would've guessed that there had been a wholesale flight of Southern conservatives to the Republican Party.

AC: Thurmond's the only segregationist anyone can name. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party had former Klansmen, members of a terrorist group that was lynching and murdering black people. That was an outgrowth of the Democratic Party. FDR put a Klansman [Hugo Black] on the Supreme Court, and Democrat in good standing Bob Byrd [U.S. Senator Robert Byrd] was a recruiter for the Klan.

 

KW: Nonetheless, I still have the sense that most of the Southerners who would've been segregationists in the Fifties and Sixties are now in the Republican camp.

AC: No, that's only because liberals say this over and over and over again to hide the actual history, which is why I go through the specifics on the big segregationists in the United States Senate, the ones who signed the Southern Manifesto and the ones who voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act. There's a panoply of issues to consider. These were aggressively-liberal Democrats who loooooooved big government when it came to The New Deal and Great Society programs. The first time they objected to the Federal government doing something was when it came to civil rights legislation. This is in stark contrast to the very few Republicans who voted against the '64 Civil Rights Act.

 

KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles asks: What do you hope will be people's reaction to being "Mugged" by you?

AC: [LOL] I like that! Two reactions. The main point is: don't make the mistake, America, of voting for Barack Obama who, by the way, does not come out of the American black experience and everything white Americans feel guilty about. He's a Hawaiian born in 1961. Weirdly enough, the best thing that ever happened to black people in the last twenty or thirty years was the O.J. verdict because it shut down the white guilt bank. And white guilt has never led to anything good. It's brought us spiraling crime rates, mostly with black victims, and a permanent underclass living in public housing projects. For years, liberals cried that "law and order" and "welfare reform" were racist code words. Yet, when Republicans were finally able to push through tough policies on crime and welfare which they'd supported for decades, they were magnificent successes for the entire country, but especially for black people. Release us, and great things will happen!

 

KW: Yale grad Tommy Russell asks: Are you familiar with Dr. Nina Jablonski and her important work that helps debunk the myth of race? Do you feel it's important to get past the notion of race as something that separates us, and use our understanding of its at times painful history to move forward as a country, civilization and world?

AC: I have not heard of her work, and I have not thought about the issue in those terms, but I would say "Yes!" based on the way it was phrased in the question.

 

KW: Tommy also asks: As a former smoker, do you feel a special kinship with President Obama?

AC: [LOL] Yes, though I think he's a little more uptight than most smokers. We're usually pretty relaxed.

 

KW: Why do you make the point in the book that he might have slave trader ancestors?

AC: Because of all our presidents, Obama is the one most likely to be descended from a slave trader, since Kenya had a major slave-trading port, and the Muslims were heavily involved in the slave trade. Right before The Civil War, only 8% of white people owned slaves. Some plantations would have hundreds and hundreds of slaves, but the vast majority of whites didn't have any.

 

KW: Larry Greenberg says: When Alan Ball launched the HBO-series True Blood with his pilot "Strange Love" episode, he mentioned right in the script that he wanted the conservative commentator on the show to be as much like Ann Coulter as possible. How did you feel about that and about how you are portrayed, vis-a-vis vampires coming out of the coffin?

AC: I had no idea. I'm not familiar with show. As soon as the subject moves to TV shows and movies, I'm a total failure. And I‘d been paying for all those premium channels for years, but recently cancelled them, since I never watched any of those networks. Now, I may have to get them back. As far as True Blood, I haven't seen my portrayals, but I could guess that I probably wouldn't like ‘em.

 

KW: Richie the intern asks: What did you think of how the cartoon The Boondocks depicted you?

AC: I've at least heard of The Boondocks. But again, I have no idea how that was done. I wouldn't know all that I do about history, if I spent my time watching cartoons and other TV shows. [Chuckles]

 

KW: Richie was also wondering what Christian denomination you are affiliated with.

AC: I don't really talk about it much, but I'm a Presbyterian.

 

KW: Ilene Proctor says: Beware the Coultergeist! She asks: Why did you recently say that civil rights should only be limited to African-Americans?

AC: Because, historically, that's what civil rights were. The Democrats pretended to care about black people for about five minutes to help their electoral process, and then civil rights suddenly became abortion on demand, gay marriage, rights for the homeless, etcetera. Frankly, I'd be a little ticked off if I were black that, after the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow, everybody else wants to get to the head of the parade. Well, no! Listen, I like white women. I am a white woman. But we didn't go through slavery and Jim Crow. Knock it off with this stuff!

 

KW: What inspired you to write this book?

AC: I was morose that the Era of Obama has returned us to a period where everything is racist, everyone is walking on eggshells, and you get the moral preening from white liberals who don't actually even know any black people. But, oh, do they love to get on their high horses and accuse Republicans of being racist for opposing very liberal government policies and a very liberal Democratic president. It's an extension of the civil rights label being slapped on gay marriage and abortion. Allow me to be bi-partisan for a moment, and love this moment because it won't last long. In my last chapter, among the public officials I mention who I think are spectacular and unaided by white guilt is the Democratic Mayor Cory Booker of Newark. He was Mau-Maued for not being black enough. He's been like Giuliani in Newark. He's got to become a Republican.

 

KW: Kate Newell asks: Would you consider debating Stephen Colbert ala the upcoming face-off between John Stewart and Bill O'Reilly? What do you think of the use of satire in getting your views across?

AC: Obviously, I'm a fan of satire. I'd debate anyone, but it would have to be the actual person. That would be my only hesitation about debating Colbert. If he were playing a character, it wouldn't really work. But I'd pretty much debate anybody. I prefer to debate smart liberals. I'm not saying this about Stephen Colbert but, unfortunately, the most famous liberals generally aren't the smartest ones. I have a list of the smarter liberals I recommend.

 

KW: Fellow attorney, fellow Cornellian and, in his opinion, fellow fiction writer Peter Brav says: Where do I start? I worked really hard to come up with a question for you, telling myself that your act is just an act, that you might actually help my wheelchair-bound mother across the street and not push her into traffic to help reduce the Medicare deficit, because I don't want to risk Kam's not making it onto your website's short list of seven "Interviewers Who Are Allowed to Interview Ann Again." But I just couldn't.

AC: [LOL] Read the book, Peter! You'll come up with a lot of questions. I don't know why liberals find it comforting to say this is an act. If you like saying that, okay. But it's an act that apparently you can't respond to, and an act that is intellectual and well thought out enough that you don't have a response to, otherwise you would.

 

KW: Peter's wife, Professor Janet Brav says: Since things are not going as well as you might have hoped for Mitt Romney, with the benefit of hindsight, whom would you have preferred to head the Republican ticket this year?

AC: No, it's still Romney. And I don't think things are going that badly. I believe the media's lying. I think it's part of their attempted suppression of the Republican vote to discourage them by announcing that the campaign is over.

 

KW: Marcia Evans also asks: What has been your personal relationship with blacks that qualifies you to write this book about blacks?

AC: Well, Marcia, this is why you should read the book. It is not about black people. It is about white liberals using race and lying about race to wreck the country. By the way, there are many black heroes in this book that you've never heard of before, and it drives me crazy that there aren't any movies made about them.

 

KW: Marcia asks: How do you feel about reparations?

AC: I'm against reparations. At this point, blacks should just be handing money to themselves. But I am an enthusiastic supporter of Professor Henry Louis Gates‘ project to get black people admitted to the Daughters of the American Revolution, of which I am a member. He's done some amazing things with DNA testing and tracing ancestry.

 

KW: Marcia asks: How do you feel about Bob Dylan's recent statement that "America was founded on the backs of slaves" and that the country would be much further along if slavery had been ended peacefully.

AC: That's an interesting point. I was unaware that he'd said that. I'm not sure I disagree with his statement but, unfortunately, it wasn't going to end peacefully. It wasn't going to happen. You could not get Democrats to stop holding slaves, and America had waited long enough. It was right there in The Declaration of Independence that the slaves would be freed. My favorite Founding Fathers, Christians like John Adams, were absolutely appalled by slavery, and did not own slaves. I think we're going to have to call on God's grace not only for slavery, but for what we're doing now with abortions.

 

KW: You dedicated your book to "the freest black man in America."

AC: Yes!

 

KW: Who is it?

AC: It's a Cracker Jack surprise to trick everybody into reading my book.

 

KW: Let me guess. Is it comedian Jimmy ".J'J." Walker? Many of my readers mentioned rumors about the two of you being romantically linked.

AC: [LOL] Jimmy started that rumor. The little sneak.

 

KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?

AC: Probably, although we got to a lot of good ones on this book.

 

KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?

AC: I'm a little afraid right now, but I think I'll be calm by November 7th.

 

KW: Can you give me a good question I could call the Ann Coulter question when I interview other celebrities?

AC: Oh, that's a good question. The only question I'd be interested in is what books they've read recently, which is part of my campaign to promote reading.

 

KW: It's already the bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?

AC: Mugged.

 

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

AC: If I've just had my makeup done for Fox, I see the hottest chick. [LOL]

 

KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?

AC: Mitt Romney as president, or for lots of people to read my book. One of the two.

 

KW: What is it like to be such a controversial figure? There are so many things you've said that have touched a nerve, like when you said Jews needed to be corrected.

AC: "Perfected." You, as a fellow Cornell grad and a fellow Christian, which is another part of your tradition, should know that "perfected" means "completed." The Old Testament calls for a Messiah. You turn the page to the New Testament, and there He is. There was nothing insulting about it. And who really cares? It was just Donny Deutsch who wanted press for his TV show. He screamed anti-Semitism, and I was going on vacation and didn't really feel the need to respond to point out how the English language works. And boy they say Jews are smart.

 

KW: But that's not the only statement that's landed you in hot water.

AC: Usually, they're my greatest hits and they make me happy. I give a lot of college speeches, and usually the Young Spartacus League or the Democrats will put up posters on campus with all the quotes they consider outrageous. But I think they're my best quotes. [LOL]

 

KW: Well, thanks for the time, Ann. I hope I get added to that short list of reporters you'll interview with again.

AC: Yes, I think you will, Kam. This has been a fun interview.

 

To order a copy of Mugged, visit

Six Million and One
Film Review by Kam Williams

Children Retrace Steps of Late Father in Holocaust Survivor Bipoic

When he was alive, Joseph Fisher never shared with his children any of his experiences while being interned in concentration camps during World War II. So, you might imagine their surprise to find a diary recounting his nightmarish ordeal among his personal effects after he passed away.

Only one of his offspring, David, could bring himself to read the memoir, a heartbreaking account of a struggle to maintain sanity in the face of unspeakable horrors ranging from forced labor to starvation to torture to rape to cannibalism to murder. The incredibly revealing reflections ("It's as if you have no skin to protect you.") posthumously erased an emotional boundary that had existed between the son and his understandably-traumatized, if emotionally-distant parent.

David immediately felt compelled to travel to Europe to retrace his dad's footsteps from Auschwitz to Gusen to Gunskirchen. And he soon succeeded in convincing his very hesitant siblings to join him on the trek. The upshot of that undertaking is Six Million and One, as moving a documentary about the Holocaust as one is ever apt to encounter.

At the site of the death camps, we hear poignant passages from Joseph Fisher's journal about being ordered to remove bodies of other prisoners from the extermination block and about having to eat grass and snails to stay alive. He also talks about how, upon being liberated, "I felt guilty about surviving. I've felt this way all my life."

By film's end, expect to weep as much as all four Fisher kids. A bittersweet tale of survival, as well as a priceless history lesson for the ages illustrating man's capacity for inhumanity to his fellow man.

Excellent (4 stars)

Unrated

In Hebrew English and German with subtitles

Running time: 93 minutes

Distributor: Nancy Fishman Film Releasing

To see a trailer for Six Million and One, visit

Won't Back Down
Film Review by Kam Williams

Jaded Teacher and Single-Mom Join Forces in Uplifting Tale of Female Empowerment

In 2010, California passed the nation's first "Parent Trigger Law," a bill which enables a neighborhood with an underperforming public school to fire the principal, replace the staff and convert it to a charter, provided a majority of the parents with students attending it sign a petition. The legislation has proved very controversial thus far, with opponents alleging that the measure is merely anti-union, whereas the sponsors call it an overdue reform intended to give kids stuck in so-called "dropout factories" a fair chance.

Consequently, Won't Back Down is opening under a cloud of controversy, which is unfortunate since the film is otherwise a quite engaging and entertaining tale of female empowerment. The reason why the picture has generated so much suspicion is that it was produced by Walden Media, the same studio that just a couple of years ago released Waiting for Superman, an incendiary documentary that came under attack for blaming teachers' unions for the broken educational system.

Although based on actual events that transpired in Los Angeles, Won't Back Down is set in the City of Pittsburgh, where we find an exasperated Jamie Fitzpatrick (Maggie Gyllenhaal) struggling to just to survive. Between selling used cars by day and bartending at night, the single-mom barely has any energy left to attend to the academic needs of her dyslexic daughter, Malia (Emily Alyn Lind).

Convinced that the lagging 8 year-old hasn't learned to read out of neglect, she enters the little girl in a lottery for one of the few coveted spots opening up at Rosa Parks, a highly-regarded, nearby charter school. But when Malia's name isn't called, the frustrated mother decides to do something about the school they're still stuck with.

Inspired by the state's new "Fail Safe Law," Jamie morphs into a tireless child advocate hell-bent on wresting the reins of control from an administration and staff with low expectations. Along the way, she enlists the assistance of Nona Alberts (Viola Davis), a jaded teacher who had all but gone to acceptance.

Initially, Nona is reluctant to get involved, because she could very easily get blacklisted for trying to bust the union. Furthermore, she's an emotional wreck, being overwhelmed by the prospect of having to raise her son (Dante Brown) on her own in the wake of her estranged husband's (Lance Reddick) recent departure.

Nevertheless, Jamie and Nona bond and, over the objections of bureaucrats, not only garner the requisite number of parental votes but even talk the teachers into surrendering job security for performance-based salaries. An uplifting, overcoming the odds Hollywood saga suggesting that the solution to public education's host of woes might be as simple as a couple of women on the verge of a nervous breakdown picking up picket signs.

In the tradition of Norma Rae and Erin Brockovich, say hello to Jamie Fitzpatrick and Nona Alberts!

Very Good (3 stars)

Rated PG for mature themes and mild epithets.

Running time: 121 minutes

Distributor: 20th Century Fox/Walden Media

To see a trailer for Won't Back Down, visit