oscar jubis
10-20-2006, 10:56 PM
This autobiographical documentary could possibly become this year's Capturing the Friedmans. Both docs focus on a Jewish family from New York and make ample use of family photos and 8mm home movies. 51 Birch Street does not contain anything as incendiary as the allegations of serial child abuse involving the elder Friedman. It deals with issues that are more universal, resulting in a film that invites personal reflection on the part of the viewer.
John and Mina Block had been married for 53 years when she died rather suddenly of pneumonia. Her two daughters and son Doug, who shot, wrote, produced and directed 51 Birch Street, were devastated. They were very close to Mina and had a relationship with their father characterized by polite but intentional avoidance. Doug decides it's about time he gets to know Dad and explore the reasons behind their tenuous relationship. Two events spice up the proceedings: 3 months after Mina's funeral, Dad marries Kitty, his former secretary, and sells the family home. Then, while cleaning out the house, Doug discovers Mina's personal diaries, which reveal a person he didn't know: a resentful an unfulfilled woman who had affairs and an intense obsession with her therapist. A woman who had strong suspicions about her husband's frequent trips to Florida, often acompanied by his secretary. "Why do I suddenly care that Kitty was a guest at my Bar Mitzvah in 1966?", the director asks.
Do we really want to know our parents? Is it ethical to dig into their personal histories? 51 Birch Street confronts these issues and many others such as how gender roles, marriage expectations, and the concept of personal happiness have evolved since the 1950s. 51 Birch Street is a highly appealing, even riventing entry into the autobiographical documentary genre.
John and Mina Block had been married for 53 years when she died rather suddenly of pneumonia. Her two daughters and son Doug, who shot, wrote, produced and directed 51 Birch Street, were devastated. They were very close to Mina and had a relationship with their father characterized by polite but intentional avoidance. Doug decides it's about time he gets to know Dad and explore the reasons behind their tenuous relationship. Two events spice up the proceedings: 3 months after Mina's funeral, Dad marries Kitty, his former secretary, and sells the family home. Then, while cleaning out the house, Doug discovers Mina's personal diaries, which reveal a person he didn't know: a resentful an unfulfilled woman who had affairs and an intense obsession with her therapist. A woman who had strong suspicions about her husband's frequent trips to Florida, often acompanied by his secretary. "Why do I suddenly care that Kitty was a guest at my Bar Mitzvah in 1966?", the director asks.
Do we really want to know our parents? Is it ethical to dig into their personal histories? 51 Birch Street confronts these issues and many others such as how gender roles, marriage expectations, and the concept of personal happiness have evolved since the 1950s. 51 Birch Street is a highly appealing, even riventing entry into the autobiographical documentary genre.