If it is the objective of a work of art to hold up a mirror to our own lives, then 51 Birch Street, in all its makeshift craftsmanship, is a great work of art.
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05/18/08
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51 Birch Street (2006)
95 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 37
Fresh: 35
Rotten:2
Average Rating: 7.8/10
Consensus: A filmmaker's investigation of his parents' marriage renders an ordinary subject surprisingly powerful.
Runtime: 90 mins
Genre: Education/General Interest
Theatrical Release: Oct 18, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: Documentary filmmaker Doug Block had every reason to believe his parent’s 54-year marriage was a good one. So he isn’t prepared when, just a few months after his mothers’ unexpected death, his 83-year old father, Mike, phones to announce... [More]
Director: Doug Block
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Reviews for 51 Birch Street
A deeply self-indulgent picture that exemplifies the worst, navel-gazing preoccupations of so many contemporary documentarians.
01/21/08
a documentary for every Baby Boomer, and every Boomer parent, to ponder
11/08/07
Leads us through a nice range of emotions and invites us to contemplate our own parents' lives
08/30/07
There is nothing more mysterious than the secrets of the people around us, and from the unraveling of this mystery Doug forms a beautiful portrait of an unfulfilled woman.
08/17/07
Click to read the article
07/21/07
Unfolds like an epistolary psychological mystery. Little about or in this movie is as simple as it seems.
05/10/07
Top Critic Doug Block delves effectively into family mysteries without offending or showing disrespect to any of the parties involved.
04/08/07
In families, especially, perceptions are relative . . . reminds us that the seemingly mundane, right at our dinner tables, can offer its own special, bittersweet poetry.
02/11/07
It gradually turns into a vivid demonstration that truth can be stronger than fiction, and that compromise is necessary in any lasting relationship.
01/12/07
51 Birch Street, like the best of the recent wave of personal documentaries, is both a compelling story and an eye-opening bit of social history.
01/11/07
The overall effect makes one ponder how much we really know about our parents, as well as how much we really want to know.
12/30/06
Just as Doug starts looking at his own marriage through new eyes after reading about his parents', so will most viewers. "51 Birch Street" could be any address in America.
12/15/06
The film grows in power as it goes, finding ever more universal levels of feeling.
11/24/06
Top Critic Through haunting home movies, Mina's diaries and interviews with Mike, a raw, riveting portrait emerges of what a child sees in his parents' relationship and what lies beneath.
11/13/06
Top Critic We'd all be better off if we could find our grace without a camera's obstruction, but ironically, Block's film provides a useful direction to see our way.
11/07/06
Since the trend of documentary films as a vehicle for the camera operator's family therapy seems firmly established, we can only hope it produces more stories of this caliber.
11/04/06
Top Critic A resounding success because it touches on things every child has wondered about on the road to adulthood.
11/03/06
Top CriticRelated Forums for 51 Birch Street
(Docu)-Doug Block's 51 BIRCH STREET will open in NYC on Oct. 18th & LA on Oct. 20th!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/6/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/6/07
(Docu)-Doug Block's 51 BIRCH STREET will open in NYC on Oct. 18th & LA on Oct. 20th!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/6/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/6/07
(Docu)-Doug Block's 51 BIRCH STREET will open in NYC on Oct. 18th & LA on Oct. 20th!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/6/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/6/07
(Docu)-Doug Block's 51 BIRCH STREET will open in NYC on Oct. 18th & LA on Oct. 20th!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/6/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 5/6/07
Scenes from a Marriage.
by: Helen Wheels 4/2/06
by: Helen Wheels 4/2/06
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