Everybody To Kenmure Street         5 suns

In the category of World Cinema Documentary comes the story of a community coming together to save undocumented immigrants from deportation.  In 2021 the UK police executed a dawn raid in a neighborhood in Glasgow, Scotland, picking up two men from their home and loading them in a police van for deportation to their home countries.  Before they could leave though, a spontaneous crowd of neighbors appeared in the streets and in an act of civil disobedience they formed obstacles and demanded that the men be freed.  Since this happened in the age of social media there was plenty of video recording being taken and word spread through the surrounding area.  The movie combines the video footage with narration from witnesses and some reenactment of events.  The film could not be more relevant to what is happening in the US today with the current administration.  It shows what can be accomplished with peaceful resistance to a tyrannical government. The movie is inspiring and moving.

The Lake.      4 suns

The Lake concerns an environmental time bomb that is affecting the Great Salt Lake in Utah.  For years the water level in the lake has been dropping as the surrounding area has been using more water for the residents and for agriculture.  The land near the lake is becoming contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals and the wildlife is dying.  When the wind comes huge dust storms threaten the wellbeing of the human population.  Three government researchers are featured in the film who present their findings and talk of the need for more study and for more government funding to reverse the trend.  They express their frustration of getting the attention of elected officials and the people. They emphasize that of all the cases of lakes in decline around the world, never has a lake been saved from disaster. The film ends on a very hopeful note.  The researchers were present and expressed optimism at getting funding to fix the monumental problem.  Only time will tell if the Great Salt Lake and the surrounding environment can be saved.