The Lottery

 

Story:

In this penetrating look at public education in America, filmmaker Madeleine Sackler follows four children through the highs and lows of a life-changing lottery, where the prize is a spot in one of New York City's best charter schools. When presented with a chance to pull their youngsters out of a failing system, some parents dare to be cautiously optimistic, knowing full well there are hundreds of thousands of kids in the pool. (NetFlix)

Review:

The Lottery may always be remembered as the lower-budgeted, younger brother version of Waiting for Superman, another documentary that explored the New York City charter school system. And while Superman received significantly more national recognition, The Lottery more than holds its own ground, offering a straight-forward, less gimmicky take on the controversial topic. That being said, The Lottery is not without its obvious faults. Clocking in at only 80 minutes, moviegoers will walk out wishing the filmmakers replaced the slightly manipulative, fluffy narratives with more in-depth research. 

The documentary follows four families leading up to the enrollment lottery at the Harlem Success Academy, a successful charter school in New York City. The four adorable children become the focal point to a much larger debate between charter school proponents and teachers unions. But what fresh socioeconomic light is director Madeleine Stackler trying shine on the subject? What, if any, new perspective can she offer? From my count, little about The Lottery scratches the surface of a subject matter that deserves a full-on excavation. 

The Lottery sets itself up with something we already know - the United States educational system is broken and tarnished, with urban minority children hurting the most from a faulty bureaucratic system. Cut to Harlem Success Academy, however, and we have a change of scenery. Suddenly, the children are smiling, raising their hands and even getting the right answer. The teachers are calm and attentive. Even the music switches from depressing piano drones to upbeat, inspirational beats. From this manipulative maze, The Lottery shows us our heroes and our villains of modern education. Charter school teachers are seen as compassionate and patient; teacher unions are shot as illogical and overly emotional - two stereotypical characterizations of a much more convoluted struggle at hand. 

A good documentary, by no means, is required to tell both sides of the debate equally. But to strip down and whittle a multi-decade long debate to good vs. evil is more than misguided; it's lazy. And so what if the film mixes a little heartbreak and a little inspiration? It's not hard to do when your subjects are standing 4-feet tall and saying the darndest things. What would've been far more ambitious and engaging is a film that delves into the complexity of the subject matter, exposing the inherent adult selfishness on both sides. Instead, The Lottery feels unfinished and if it were a term paper, I would give it an 'Incomplete.'

Reviewed by Yih Lee for Documentary Film Online on January 30, 2012

In Conclusion: