Old Man River (1999) User Reviews

A Touching and Personal Social Justice Story

[rousu-1 · 9/10 · 4 December 2013]

I was quite affected by the artfully acted and told story of a complex man who was strongly affected by one of the worst instances of abuse of human rights in the racist history of the United States. It is much more personal than "The Manzanar Fishing Club" and "The Searchlight Serenade" and almost as thought provoking as "Conscience and Constitution." The one woman stage performance is augmented by stills and video that unwind the complex story in a way that brings both awareness and tears, and adds notes, chords, and discords forever to the song Old Man River. The additional material maps the story into the enemy combatant discrimination and prejudice against those suspected of being Muslim following the 911 attack.