If You Build It (2013) Reviews

• "Design. Build. Transform"...Uplifting yet maddening documentary

  paul-allaer2014-02-23

  "If You Build It" (2013 release; 85 min.) brings the story of Windsor, North Carolina, the county seat of Bertie County, and a small town that is in rapid decline. The downtown is practically a ghost town, and people are struggling to get by. The public school system is a mess, needless to say. Then one day the school superintendent decides to shake things up by hiring Matt and Emily, who are going to teach a design class to the HS juniors. Not long after they are hired, the superintendent is fired by the school board, and their funding is cut. Matt and Emily nevertheless persevere, living solely on grant money. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out. Couple of comments: first and foremost, if you are into architecture and design, this movie is nothing short of heavenly bliss. Matt and Emily's class is based on designing things, but then their class sets itself apart by actually having the HS kids build what they have designed. The 10 HS juniors who signed up for the class find themselves challenged in the best of ways, and come to discover a lot about themselves along the way. Watch how the class comes about in the final project of the year, to design and build a Farmers Market, just delightful. Second, kudos to Matt and Emily who stick it out for two years in this remote community, trying to achieve something positive, only to find the school board not interested, or worse. In the same vein, shame on the school board for being so shortsighted. It makes for maddening viewing at times as you just want to shake these people up. The Bertie County community deserves so much better! Lastly, while we do find out at the end what happened to Matt and Emily afterwards, we are not told what became of the kids and the rest of the protagonists in this documentary, and instead are prompted to visit the movie's website for that. Sorry, but that is simply disrespectful of the viewer in my humble opinion. Just tell me already! I saw this documentary this past weekend at the Landmark E Street Cinema in Washington, DC. Even though I caught it at an early matinée, the screening was well attended, somewhat to my surprise to be honest. But I couldn't be happier for the makers of this documentary. "If You Build It" is an uplifting documentary, even with the shortsighted school board along the way. This movie definitely deserves to be seen, be it in the theater or on the eventual DVD release. "If You Build It" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

• A Documentary of Profound Hope

  BobSacramento2015-08-09

  As our society catapults into the 21st Century, it's clear our educational system needs a new vision. The world is changing, and the kids in the classroom are changing, too. Our schools— largely—have yet to adapt to this reality. But adaptation isn't simple. For big changes to happen—in schools or elsewhere—people need to see what "change" looks like. A model of "future education" must be formed as a prototype, and displayed for everyone to see. Have you seen that model yet? Me neither. "If You Build It" isn't that model, nor the answer to all educational problems. But it's an enormous step in the right direction. It's a film that leaves you with big ideas, profound hope, and a resurgence of optimism concerning America's creativity. It's the story of a young couple who go to rural North Carolina with architectural degrees and teaching certificates. They establish a hands-on course for high school kids, teaching creative design alongside vocational skills. Each student designs projects they build themselves, learning not only technical skills, but the human skills of inventiveness and actualization. The film may have flaws, but the blossoming ideas within are beautiful. "If You Build It" feels like an important document. It's a thoroughly enjoyable journey into the quest for social progress. And it leaves you with an enthusiastic impression of what "future education" ought to resemble.

• Learning is Suffocated by Arrogance from the Adult Leaders

  clacura2018-11-04

  This movie is a CLASSIC example of who the true leaders really are. It is not the ignorant and arrogant school board. It is not the town itself. This doc proves how new light outside has to come in to shine. The two designers first are educated and skilled. You cannot impart what you do not first possess. These two have a big heart and head. They both could have easily made great livings in their respective professions, but there was something inside of them to give, almost like very educated Peace Corp workers or missionaries. They took a depressive community and students that easily could be the next meth casualties and demonstrated how with knowledge, student can learn. The Greek learning model does not work shown by students in a classroom behind computers taking classes like Spanish and PE...PE using a computer. The arrogant aspect to the school board is they have a position of power--how to use the 30 million dollars government gives to educate. Of course, educators fail with anything associated with money by building a failed elementary school that sat dormant after two years. Total waste of money but did they lose their positions? Probably not. But who sits in judgement of how to spend money? The same morons. Get the picture? The brilliance of this movie is a new paradigm of learning. Yet is has to be taught be people who can actually DO...over the Greek model of book learning to take a test to pass a class with no real world application on how to actually think that matters. Both these teachers were never satisfied unless there was a finished product! What these kids did was amazing...but people who do not do cannot appreciate others that do as seen by the failed Detroit house built. More proof handout do not work. Who are the worst kids ever? Trustfund babies. They have no ownership over the money they have and therefore can never appreciate t hat which they possess. Liberal funding does not work. Lastly, note how alive these students were as the movie progressed over the first few days of skepticism and faithlessness. When hope was ignited, they took off. I have lived in a small town. Many times the parents do not want their kids to get educated because they will leave so they suppress education. They will never admit this of course. Then there are those who are threatened by progress. This is the antithesis of creativity. Not all progress is good progress. I am sure many will tink, "Great, my kid was taught how to design and build, now they will want to leave this town!" Yet some might want to invest in the town their families live in as well. One thing I would have done with these students is before leaving encourage them to start their own business. Keep the unity developed because when the pack leaders go, the pack will stray like sheep. Great documentary...this couple should be extremely proud of what they accomplished. Their maturity level is what America needs and this world! Those who give back, but they did much more, they taught the next generation and changed those kids lives through accomplishment.