Won't Back Down [Blu-ray] by 20th Century Fox

Actors

• Oscar Isaac

Format

• AC-3
• Dolby
• Dubbed
• Subtitled
• Widescreen

Editorial Review

A film about the power of hope and collaboration in education, Won't Back Down tells the story of two mothers frustrated by their local inner-city school and its failure to educate children. Jamie (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a single mom working two jobs who's determined to help her dyslexic daughter succeed in school. Nona (Viola Davis) is a disillusioned teacher as well as a mother struggling with her own son's slow educational progress. Frustrated by a system that protects unmotivated teachers and ignores the needs of children, Jamie and Nona embark on a grassroots campaign to transform their school into a place where teachers teach and students learn, taking on parents, teachers, school and district administrations, and the teachers' union in the process. The two women's journey is passionate, emotional, grounded by what's best for children, and incredibly inspiring. Equally powerful, and absolutely infuriating, is the film's portrayal of the reality that some teachers, schools, administrations, school districts, and teachers' unions have lost sight of the paramount goal of doing what's in the best interest of children. Loosely based on the parent trigger law passed in 2010 in Sunland-Tujunga, Los Angeles, which allows parents to petition public school districts to overhaul underperforming schools, Won't Back Down makes a powerful argument that parents and teachers can drive change and create schools that can effectively meet the needs of students. The process is certainly not easy, and the film does a good job of portraying the difficulties of winning school board approval to revamp a school. But it completely glosses over the significant difficulties inherent in bringing together a collaborative team–skilled educators and administrators who will prove up to the task of independently designing an educational program that reaches and inspires students, teachers, and parents. There is no one surefire system guaranteed to educate every single child nationwide. Although one of the big messages in this film is certainly that charter schools are one way to combat failing schools, the film's bigger message is that daring to hope, care, collaborate, and fight for what's best for children is incredibly powerful. –Tami Horiuchi