The Pruitt-Igoe Myth

Tonight I got to see "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth" at the L.A. Film Festival, which was pretty freaking cool. Since it was directed by the one and only Chad Freidrichs, one of the most influential people in my educational career, I was able to get free tickets to see it for the second time. This time, since I was more awake and not distracted with moving, I was able to really enjoy the film and decided to blog about it. I'm not going to go into too much detail because this film has received several reviews from accredited sources, and they have said it much better than I can. Warning, I have a different take on the film because I know the director so well.

"The Pruitt-Igoe Myth" is an archival documentary, which immediately seems to turn some people away...those people should not be allowed to watch films. While Pruitt-Igoe does follow some of the standards that have been set-forth by archival predecessors, this films also challenges many of the stereotypes, and lets the audience know that this filmmaker plans to challenge the status quo in archival filmmaking. The way in which the archival footage is woven together, working brilliantly with the voice-over, interviews, and score is not only thought-provoking, but also upbeat. This is not a PBS documentary you turn on one Saturday afternoon to take a nap to, it keeps you engaged with a quick pace and makes you think. The story is universal, the people real, and images haunting. The story of Pruitt-Igoe is so extreme that at times you have to remind yourself that this is real, people lived through this, and then you ask why?

The film is also smart. It's so important that a documentary inform, but analyze, draw conclusions, and make you think about things. It is important that the film do this, while still keeping you engaged. "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth" presents complex information in a way that allows the audience to follow it without long explanations. Many of the ideas presented in the film come from normal, everyday people who have spent their lives remembering the housing project. Holes are filled in with poetic, to the point voiceover that calms the mind while arousing thoughts of injustice. Freidrichs and his co-producer/wife Jaime Freidrichs produced such a wonderful script for narration, they were recently nominated for an award for "Best Documentary Script".

It is important to note that Chad Freidrichs, or "The Chad" as some of us refer to him, will be a powerful voice in years to come. He has caught what he calls "the archival bug" and his future projects will challenge the ways in which filmmakers use archival footage. He has big goals, and I know he will achieve them, because his passion cannot be stifled and his talent will not go unused. When you see "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth", you will understand why Chad has been over the past four years, and will continue to be, one of my biggest inspirations. If I can maintain half the passion he has for filmmaking, and find a quarter of his talent, then I will make the films I want to make and they will be worth watching.