Popular reviews

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  Review by Karst ★★★★½ 2

  my goodness this is so good. so raw and charming. feels rare to get something as honest and unfiltered as this that still manages to hold your attention. i see some people bashing it for not having the typical documentary tropes like voiceovers or talking heads but honestly that's probably my favorite part about it.

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  Review by 🐱Andrew Chrzanowski🐱 ★★★½

  ☆"Don't get too happy."☆

  Sundance Grand Jury nominee and festival hit of 2019 and early 2020 Pahokee is a very good cinéma vérité look at one South Florida high school in a poor Everglades town, focused on four teens at a football-crazy institution with a majority-minority population. The passionately objective filming of Patrick Bresnan and Ivete Lucas will invite comparisons to Frederick Wiseman, and for good reason, as this is a slice of America he would have captured himself.

  Thanks to the PBS sister station World Channel and its series America Reframed, this acclaimed film is online for free at this link for a limited time. It's available thanks to your financial support, so please donate to your local public…

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  Review by Emily ★★★★

  The most interesting things in film right now are happening in indie documentaries and this movie is a great example.

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  Review by Iona ★★★★ 1

  This is an important film. Also fuck that Harvard lady.

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  Review by 🌙 kali 1

  I feel very fortunate that my school had a screening of this with the directors. Ivete had to step out, but Patrick was a very interesting individual whom had eye-opening revelations to why he personally began filming what he does. This piece is a beautiful film displaying humanity as natural as they could capture. The time they spent building up trust with the families and teens took years because they really cared about letting the talent of this film, lead what they wanted the audience to see. They were constantly relaying footage to the families, and putting the voice of the film in their hands, with cinematic guidance. Observational films as such have much critique, but in my experience, the filmmakers really expressed how they want the film to be driven by intimacy of communities or stories that are often painted in bad light or demonized.

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  Review by arlin ★★★★

  when a film is just warm and tender and looks beautiful and you don’t really have any jokes for this space

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  Review by Connor Kriechbaum

  My favorite so far. Through seemingly just typical high schoolers doing typical high school things. But that’s the point. Humanizing one of the poorest cities in Florida without going into poverty porn. I loved it.

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  Review by Hayden Osborne ★★★½

  A charming little pseudo-documentary that takes place over a school year at a high school in Pahokee, Florida. Although there is no overarching narrative or “main characters,” the film focuses most on four seniors, and the struggles each go through in their respective lives. It feels very down to earth and genuine, and it’ll have you rooting for the success of every student in the school by the end.

  During the graduation ceremony, I almost instinctively clapped after the speech along with the crowd in the film. I was that absorbed. That’s impressive.

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  Review by NotAnnaFaris 🏈 Ms. Irrelevant, If You're Nasty 🏈 ★★★★

  Pahokee tells the story of a small South FL town, narrowing in on 4 high school seniors' journeys as they prepare for the next phase of their lives. These kids aren't delinquents; in fact, quite the opposite. They have dreams & work ethic, they love their families, they're grateful, & they're not asking for help, handouts, or special treatment, despite their innate truth: they'll have to work harder just to catch up before the race even begins, & they'll have to be better just to keep up.

  This humble, hands-off documentary doesn't work any angles or manipulate its subjects OR audience, yet inarguably captures the phenomenon of inequality at the starting line. I think the runtime could've spared 15-20min, but at the same time, I imagine the filmmakers were mesmerized by their subjects, & dedicated to giving 'forgotten America' ample time in the spotlight.

  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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  Review by Aaron ★★★½

  SUNDANCE 2019 #9

  
  Charming

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  Review by Michael Coleman ★★★★

  Riveting in its attention to the rituals of life in rural florida and the rites of passage senior year brings. A portrait of a community that is at once expansive and heart wrenchingly intimate. A work to be admired.

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  Review by Ruby ★★★★

  Beautifully directionless. The lack of narrative allows you to SEE these kids, really see them