Since everybody comments on how beautiful this film is, which I absolutely agree it is, I might as well comment on some technical details i noticed. I love documentaries. Voyeurism comes with loving cinema (or is it the other way around?) and what better way to satisfy this urge than watching a documentary about real people, right? With the advent of digital technology there are many docs being made with digital video. And every once in a while it is a blessing to be able to see a documentary shot on film, and on good old nostalgic 16mm. Not only does it bring back memories of documentaries from the pre-DV era, but also it warms up the screen and makes the characters more personable. The editing is marvelous here. The attention to continuity of sound worked and gives us a nicely flowing picture. Most children are shot at eye level, bringing us viewers face to face with them; rather than seeing childrens heads from above: the adult angle. The patience of the teacher is inspiring. The moments of kids with their families remind us of education as a collective community effort. And prizeful moments like the fear of a kid's first day at school, or fights between two kids, are beautifully documented events that most of us probably have been through in our school years. The almost cinema-verite approach avoids the monotonous talking-head approach that many other documentaries like to use. Overall this film is very inspiring, and pleasing. And kids are always going to be cute, and the filmmakers use that as one of their strengths.
Review of To Be and to Have
