On the plus side, it's an important story, and it's good that someone is putting this out there. Unfortunately, "important" doesn't always equate with "good" or "interesting." This film starts out so strong that you truly feel as though something epic is coming. But then the plot quickly loses its sense of direction. The story arc is almost indiscernible, wandering and rambling from one point to the next, in no certain order. At times I didn't know where we were, where we were going, or why it mattered. There was so much that should have been left on the cutting room floor. At half the length, the effect would have been twice as great. Word to the wise: a little bit of cell phone footage goes a long way. Unless there are some truly compelling images (and there weren't), the muddy/grainy/shaking just becomes irritating after a couple of minutes. The worst part is that the whole project is quite self-indulgent. During the closing credits it was no surprise to see that the person whose face was on-screen 90% of the time was also the producer. Is there no one else with a similar or analogous story with whom you could have shared some screen time? Certainly there was some opportunity to compare and contrast your story with that of someone in the same boat. I am glad that Moises got the full scholarship. He's a smart, hard-working guy who has been through a lot. He deserves a break, and I'm willing to bet that he makes the most of this opportunity. But does this advance the cause or contribute to the theme of this documentary? It doesn't seem so. Among other things, he and the others were supposedly fighting for in-state tuition so they could all afford to attend college. From all we can tell here, Moises got his free ride and walked away from that part of the mission. I'm sure he wouldn't actually do that, but that's how it seemed. To be fair, it is highly likely that people who have walked in Moises' shoes will view this movie through a more forgiving. Nothing wrong with that. But those aren't the people that you are trying to influence. They already have your back. If you want to persuade the rest of us, first grab our attention and then hold onto it. As it was, by the halfway point I was checking my watch every couple of minutes, wishing that either something interesting would happen or that the movie would just end. Ultimately, the powerful opening just made that ending all the more disappointing.
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