Race to Nowhere
Encyclopedia
Race to Nowhere is a 2009
documentary film
written by Maimone Attia and directed by Vicki Abeles and Jessica Congdon.
Determined to help her get well, Abeles started to make changes at home, but the problem seemed more systemic. She began talking with other kids and parents and everywhere she heard similar stories about the unintended consequences of today’s education system and culture to our children and their future. The difficulty at first seemed to center on one critical issue: the plight of students driven to acquire the academic credentials that would facilitate acceptance by a good university and insure a rewarding career. Recounting the story of a local high school girl who committed suicide under fear of academic failure, the film’s narrative then expands to include a scathing indictment of some of our most fundamental assumptions about the way we educate children.
Director Abeles realized that a documentary film could be a powerful lever in giving voice to those who are the first concern within the educational system yet are often the last to be heard.
has called it “a compelling film about the stress that kids today experience.” Trip Gabriel of the The New York Times
called it “a must-see movie.”
In a review for Slant Magazine
, Jesse Cataldo gave the film a rating of two stars out of four and criticised the film's lack of objectivity and "occasional lapses into hysterical worrywarting", but called it "the rare documentary that provides legitimate answers to the questions it raises". Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times
was critical of the director's attempt to make a "single, clear narrative" out of such a large topic, but praised her compassion. Writing for The Village Voice
, Ella Taylor
said that the director "sheds little new light" on why many parents, teachers and politicians are in favor of extensive homework and testing of high school students. Staff writer Andrew Han of The Smoke Signal, the school newspaper for Mission San Jose High School
, criticized the movie for having a "self-pitying tone of the students being interviewed; every student has their own story of martyrdom" and "whether or not this attitude calls for a full-length film documenting the perceived “silent epidemic” of high school students, however, is questionable.". Many students, on the other hand, are inspired to add their voice to the dialogue. One example is Erica Rohde, who was able to share her story as a staff writer for Coppell Student Media at Coppell High School
.
2009 in film
The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
written by Maimone Attia and directed by Vicki Abeles and Jessica Congdon.
Background
Part of the power of Race to Nowhere is in its personal story. The film came into being after director Vicki Abeles discovered that the pressures of school, homework, tutoring and extracurricular activities were making her middle-school daughter physically sick. The notion that her daughter – a seemingly normal teenager – had been diagnosed with a stress-induced illness was a painful wake-up call and a catalyst for change.Determined to help her get well, Abeles started to make changes at home, but the problem seemed more systemic. She began talking with other kids and parents and everywhere she heard similar stories about the unintended consequences of today’s education system and culture to our children and their future. The difficulty at first seemed to center on one critical issue: the plight of students driven to acquire the academic credentials that would facilitate acceptance by a good university and insure a rewarding career. Recounting the story of a local high school girl who committed suicide under fear of academic failure, the film’s narrative then expands to include a scathing indictment of some of our most fundamental assumptions about the way we educate children.
Director Abeles realized that a documentary film could be a powerful lever in giving voice to those who are the first concern within the educational system yet are often the last to be heard.
Synopsis
Race to Nowhere is a film containing stories of young people across the country who have been pushed to the brink, educators who are burned out and worried that students aren’t developing the skills they need, and parents who are trying to do what’s best for their children.Reception
Since its release in 2010, Race to Nowhere has enjoyed an unusual longevity for a documentary motion picture. It has garnered a wide range of praise and criticism. Former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane RavitchDiane Ravitch
Diane Silvers Ravitch is an historian of education, an educational policy analyst, and a research professor at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Previously, she was a U.S...
has called it “a compelling film about the stress that kids today experience.” Trip Gabriel of the The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called it “a must-see movie.”
In a review for Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
, Jesse Cataldo gave the film a rating of two stars out of four and criticised the film's lack of objectivity and "occasional lapses into hysterical worrywarting", but called it "the rare documentary that provides legitimate answers to the questions it raises". Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
was critical of the director's attempt to make a "single, clear narrative" out of such a large topic, but praised her compassion. Writing for The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, Ella Taylor
Ella Taylor
Ella Taylor is a film critic who was a staff writer for the LA Weekly and Village Voice Media, writing film and book reviews, interviews, profiles, and cultural and political commentary from 1989 to 2009, when she and much of the staff were laid off....
said that the director "sheds little new light" on why many parents, teachers and politicians are in favor of extensive homework and testing of high school students. Staff writer Andrew Han of The Smoke Signal, the school newspaper for Mission San Jose High School
Mission San Jose High School
Mission San Jose High School , is a public, co-educational, four-year secondary school founded in 1964 and located in the Mission San Jose district of Fremont, California, United States...
, criticized the movie for having a "self-pitying tone of the students being interviewed; every student has their own story of martyrdom" and "whether or not this attitude calls for a full-length film documenting the perceived “silent epidemic” of high school students, however, is questionable.". Many students, on the other hand, are inspired to add their voice to the dialogue. One example is Erica Rohde, who was able to share her story as a staff writer for Coppell Student Media at Coppell High School
Coppell High School
Coppell High School is a 5A high school located in Coppell, Texas . It is part of the Coppell Independent School District located in extreme northwest Dallas County...
.