In 2006 director David Guggenheim teamed up with former Vice President Al Gore to make the groundbreaking documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth'. After taking on a global problem he tackles something closer to home. Education is one of those issues that everyone wants to do something about but can't seem to work out how. The major issue is always money and governments making drastic cuts and so schools have to make sacrifices. I know it is not just a problem in the USA but here as well. While we don't seem to be in as bad a situation as the USA, it looks like we're headed that way. One thing this documentary does prove though is that the problem is not all about funding but is more about laziness. With teachers in the USA being able to get tenure after only a short time and no restrictions it means teachers can keep their job and still do a horrible job. But the teachers union is so powerful that they cannot change the rule. Which is proven with the head of the school district in Washington DC trying to change the rule but being voted down by the all powerful unions. While there is a ray of hope with some former teachers and superintendents starting their own schools, they are so popular that they have to hold a lottery for kids to get in. This provides a wonderfully tense sequence at the end of the film as we see some of the kids we have been following in the film go to these lotteries. It also provides one of the most moving moments as well. While some of the statistics can get a bit over whelming, the real strength of the film is the human stories that David highlights. Giving a face to the sometimes stale statistics. It makes you care about the problem more.
Much like Michael Moore did when he made 'Sicko' after 'Fahrenheit 9/11', David Guggenheim takes on a smaller issue that is closer to home. He does an excellent job too and points out a sad state of affairs in the world once again.
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