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Room to Breathe is a 2012 documentary film directed and produced by Russell Long.

Contents [hide] 1 Background 2 Synopsis 3 Reception 4 Distribution 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

Part of the power of Race to Nowhere is in its personal story. The film came into being after director Vicki Abeles discovered that the pressures of school, homework, tutoring and extracurricular activities were making her middle-school daughter physically sick. The notion that her daughter – a seemingly normal teenager – had been diagnosed with a stress-induced illness was a painful wake-up call and a catalyst for change.

Determined to help her get well, Abeles started to make changes at home, but the problem seemed more systemic. She began talking with other kids and parents and everywhere she heard similar stories about the unintended consequences of today’s education system and culture to our children and their future. The difficulty at first seemed to center on one critical issue: the plight of students driven to acquire the academic credentials that would facilitate acceptance by a good university and ensure a rewarding career. Recounting the story of a local high school girl who committed suicide under fear of academic failure, the film’s narrative then expands to include a scathing indictment of some of our most fundamental assumptions about the way we educate children.[1]

Director Abeles realized that a documentary film could be a powerful lever in giving voice to those who are the first concern within the educational system yet are often the last to be heard.

Synopsis Room To Breathe is a surprising story of transformation as struggling kids in a San Francisco public middle school are introduced to the practice of mindfulness meditation.

Topping the district in disciplinary suspensions, and with overcrowded classrooms creating a nearly impossible learning environment, overwhelmed administrators are left with stark choices: repeating the cycle of trying to force tuned-out children to listen, or to experiment with timeless inner practices that may provide them with the social, emotional, and attentional skills that they need to succeed.

Reception Since its release in 2010, Race to Nowhere has enjoyed an unusual longevity for a documentary motion picture. It has garnered a wide range of praise and criticism. Former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch has called it “a compelling film about the stress that kids today experience.”[3] Trip Gabriel of The New York Times called it “a must-see movie.”[4]

In a review for Slant Magazine, Jesse Cataldo gave the film a rating of two stars out of four and criticised the film's lack of objectivity and "occasional lapses into hysterical worrywarting", but called it "the rare documentary that provides legitimate answers to the questions it raises".[5] Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times was critical of the director's attempt to make a "single, clear narrative" out of such a large topic, but praised her compassion.[2] Writing for The Village Voice, Ella Taylor said that the director "sheds little new light" on why many parents, teachers and politicians are in favor of extensive homework and testing of high school students.[6]

Distribution Room to Breathe is distributed for the educational market place by The Video Project. Room to Breathe became available for home use on February 17, 2014.

See also[edit]

External links[edit] Race to Nowhere at the Internet Movie Database Official website