Sentenced

Sentenced doesn't come at the literacy crisis with stats and talking heads. It comes with the truth-unfiltered, human, and devastating. There are no experts here, just the voices of those living through one of the most overlooked injustices in America. If you're looking for a policy and education deep dive, there are other documentaries available. But if you want to feel it-if you want to be undone and then get up and do something-this is the one. It wrecks you, then recruits you.

While this documentary is extremely basic and barebones in its style and presentation, the individuals that are examined, and how their pasts and current circumstances ultimately represent the lives of millions of others, will hit the viewer quite hard. The cyclical nature of addiction, abuse, and neglect are illustrated in powerful portraits of generational poverty, spurred on by a lack of very basic education and attention from parental figures, and society as a whole. Some stories don't get as much attention as others though, and I would've really liked to see more of the perspective of teachers, and social workers involved in these children's lives. It very straightforwardly and urgently calls our attention to the issue, but lacks any analysis of certain plans or prescriptions that could remedy the situation.