The Boys of Baraka (2005)

Raw emotions, both uplifting and depressing, are captured.

I feel that all its acclaim and awards are meant more for the cause than for the artistic or journalistic achievements of presenting the cause.

leaves out vital pieces of information, such as how and why the school was founded and who pays for it

Rough but heartfelt, The Boys of Baraka addresses an important issue with conviction.

After Born into Brothels won an Academy Award for Best Documentary, it was only a matter of time before the imitators started coming along.

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Ends on a mixed note of hope and helplessness that clings to the consciousness for days.

Imagine if "Hoop Dreams" (1994), the documentary about Chicago high schoolers who dream of making the NBA, had slammed to a halt after the kids' junior year, and you'll get a feeling for the way "The Boys of Baraka" leaves you hanging.

Is public indifference to the circumstances that produce these dead-end expectations fueled as much by the hopelessness depicted in well-meaning documentaries like 'Baraka' as by violent gangsta rap narratives and cliched boyz-n-the-hood movies?