Speaking in Tongues

The key to this film's accessibility is the manner the film makers allow the material speak for itself. The stories offer a satisfying connection with each of the featured individual students while they (the stories) intrinsically nudge the viewer toward consideration of the larger questions presented. The way these stories unfold left me not only better informed, but eager to delve even further into the subject. I enjoyed watching this documentary that not only delivers information it is easy to care about and connects us with the lives featured in the film, but also succeeds in leaving the viewer firmly connected with the continuing story happening in schools everywhere.

The "Speaking in tongues" team does an amazing job at clarifying and focusing on a topic that, initially, would prompt more tedium that fervor. Bi-lingual education might be a hot topic in the educational sphere but is not a natural shoe-in for exciting fare on the big screen. I was floored however, by the artful weaving of elements I witnessed when watching this movie at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival last year. It was only just that the piece went on to win the Audience Award for best Documentary Feature as the unassuming topic steadily and competently gains greater currency as it winds its way along the path of its 4 or 5 main characters, children and young people in school in San Francisco and abroad. By the end of the movie, the audience was left thoroughly gripped by the stories told and inspired by the amazing progress portrayed. Concurrently, without wonkishness, Jarmal and Schneider manage to layout the current state of affairs on this often muddled and misunderstood approach to truly furthering a young person's outlook and skills. A must see for people in this field and a great watch for all.

Although I can see how this can sway other people because of how well the children speak, I'm still not convinced that we should learn other languages. I think that it should be the parent's responsibility. Most of the world knows English, so why not keep that going? This documentary is making it look like it's everyone's responsibility to accommodate all these foreigners here when it's their responsibility to learn English first. If children want to learn languages, that's fine, but let it be the parent's responsibility, not use our tax money! The lady in the trailer is so right, I agree with that woman one-hundred percent.

My wife and I are enrolling our soon-to-be five year old in a Spanish immersion program when he begins kindergarten this fall, and this movie is largely what sold us on the idea. Our school district hosted a viewing of "Speaking in Tongues" as part of an informational session on its program in particular and immersion programs in general. The film helped us have a better understanding of how immersion programs actually work (the film includes a scene of a kindergarten class on its very first day in a Chinese immersion program, and the look on one little boy's face as his teacher is explaining to him in Chinese where to put his backpack is priceless) and what the benefits of them are. After speaking to the educators who actually run the program in our area, I don't have expectations that our son will come out of fifth grade actually speaking a foreign language. It sounds like not enough attention has been paid to developing the program past elementary school for that. But the cognitive, problem-solving and social development advantages that studies have shown are part of these immersion programs are incredibly persuasive whether or not at the end of it all the child is bilingual.

Grade: A-