Documentary Review: 21 Below

I recently had the opportunity to review a documentary called 21 Below. The documentary focuses on a family of three daughters, Sharon, Karin and Laurie. Sharon has married and returned home when she learned that Karin's 14-month-old daughter was dying from Tay-Sachs disease.

Upon returning home, Sharon finds herself acting as a mediator between her mother, Peggy and Karin. Peggy is very disappointed in Karin's lifestyle, especially the choice of her new boyfriend, Courtney. She feels that Courtney is a bad role model for Karin's children, due to his work ethic and drug-dealing activities.

In conclusion, I found this documentary to be an intriguing look at the complex challenges of the contemporary American family.

Documentary of Interest: Katrina's Children

This documentary takes a look at the effect of Hurricane Katrina from the children of New Orleans who lived through it. The children talk about the storm, the experience at the Super Dome and their experiences in the new towns they were evacuated with their families to.

Documentary of Interest: Africa's Daughters

Africa's Daughters is a short 25 minute documentary that takes a look at two young women from Uganda whose families have struggled to ensure that these students finish high school. The fact that they have been able to continue their education in a culture that doesn't value the education of girls is something to take note of.

This documentary may be of interest to those who are interested in learning more about the educational realities that young women face in some parts of Africa.

Documentary of Interest: Day Job

This Media That Matters short documentary takes a look at who the day laborers are. Many of the day laborers have children to support, but are finding it increasingly harder to find work. Sometimes fights breakout with men not having worked for two or more weeks. While the film states that the median wage for a day laborer is $10 an hour, many of the workers find that the people who hired them at the wage negotiated prior to the job, end up giving them much less once the job is done.

This film is highly recommended for those who want to learn more about the day laborer population.

Documentary of Interest: Uninsured in the Mississippi Delta

This short Media That Matters documentary takes a look at the uninsured in the Mississippi Delta. The Delta region is one of the most impoverished and uninsured areas in the nation. The film focuses on those people who are working but are making too much for Medicare, but too little to buy their own insurance. Greenville, MS, has the highest rate of uninsured households in the country with 34% of households lacking coverage. Those who lack coverage usually wait until the condition becomes serious before seeking aid as they can't afford the doctor's visit to resolve the issue at the very beginning.

This film is highly recommended for those who want to learn more about the obstacles to health care that the working poor face today.

Documentary of Interest: I am Sean Bell

This short film by Media That Matters takes a look at the plight of young black males and the fears and hopes they possess in a city where the lives of young black men are often cut short. This film interviews young African-American males on their opinions of the Sean Bell incident and how the incident has affected them in their everyday lives.

Documentary of Interest: No One Bothered

This short documentary takes a look at a homeless couple in England and their living experience. The film provides a good lesson of the kinds of hurdles that the homeless endure everyday while out on the streets.

The Least of These - Documentary on family detention

The Least of These is a 2009 documentary that takes a look at a family detention facility in Texas. The facility was formerly used a medium-security prison and is run by the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), a private prison operator. Three attorneys set about to bring changes in both the policy and conditions of the facility by making their findings public and filing a historic lawsuit.

Click on the link above to view this 62 minute documentary in its entirety or visit the film website to learn more.

Mississippi Chicken - Documentary on immigrant poultry workers in Mississippi

Mississippi Chicken is an excellent documentary on the plight of Hispanic immigrants in a poultry town. The documentary provides a background of poultry industry in Mississippi detailing how the jobs were once occupied by white workers then blacks workers and finally Hispanics. The two main characters is a woman who is working to create a worker's center to help immigrant workers and a matriarch of a family, Guillermina.

Viewers will be provided with a better understanding of the kind of hardships immigrants face. While one hopes that the workers profiled in this work will succeed in making their way out of the situation, you'll end up being surprised and saddened at how their lives actually turnout.

Viewer's notes: The documentary does not have subtitles and much of the discussion is in Spanish. Warning:The first five minutes of the documentary shows raw footage of a pig being killed and prepared for a party.