In the West Chelsea
neighborhood of Manhattan many new apartment buildings are being built with
high rents or high purchase prices. This area is at the intersection of 10th Avenue and
26th Street. Part of
this rise in development is due to the innovative urban park known as the High
Line. The real estate industry was
against the High Line but now they are the primary beneficiaries of the
project. This portion of the
neighborhood was formerly the raised railroad track for trains. In the middle of West Chelsea is a
poverty-stricken public-housing project. There is a public school and also a private
school in this same neighborhood.
The two schools are 115 steps apart in distance but miles apart in
wealth. The K-12 school The Avenues
is elite and pricey, public or parochial schools are for everyone else.
The people in the projects are worried
that developers will purchase their building and bring in a new more lucrative
project. Where will they go and
where will they live if that is the case? Both income and education levels in this neighborhood feel the pressure to succeed. How can the teens make enough money as an adult to get out of the project housing? How can the privileged students make as much money as their parents? Do the wealthy coming into this neighborhood want to rub elbows in the recreational areas with the poor? 3 1/2* (I liked this movie)
74
min Doc directed by Marc Levin with Hysisheem 22, Rosa 8, Yasemin 15, Juwan 21
and other students and parents of the neighborhood.
Note: Imdb 7.3 out of 10, 100% critic 76%
audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 ½*, Letterboxd 6.7 out of 10 with 64
reviews.
Special
Note: Filmed in the West Chelsea
neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, New York for HBO.
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