Raw emotions, both uplifting and depressing, are captured.
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06/13/08
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The Boys of Baraka (2005)
73
%
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Reviews Counted:41
Fresh:30
Rotten:11
Average Rating:6.8/10
Consensus: The interviewed boys are compelling subjects, but the documentary would be better if the filmmakers had provided more factual details.
Theatrical Release:Nov 30, 2005 Limited
Synopsis: On September 12, 2002 twenty "at risk" 12-year-old boys from the tough streets of inner-city Baltimore left home to attend the 7th and 8th grade at Baraka, an experimental boarding school located... [More]
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Reviews for The Boys of Baraka
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.
09/18/07
leaves out vital pieces of information, such as how and why the school was founded and who pays for it
04/05/07
Rough but heartfelt, The Boys of Baraka addresses an important issue with conviction.
03/01/07
After Born into Brothels won an Academy Award for Best Documentary, it was only a matter of time before the imitators started coming along.
01/06/07
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11/11/06
Ends on a mixed note of hope and helplessness that clings to the consciousness for days.
05/19/06
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.
04/27/06
It's galling to think American kids must go abroad for a chance to turn their lives around. But it's also inspiring to see the changes that are possible.
04/14/06
Top CriticIs 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?
04/14/06
This documentary makes you wonder what our nation's schools would be like if educators had all the resources they need and deserve . . . and if students here had as much individual instruction as they need and deserve.
04/07/06
The Boys of Baraka leaves you outraged in the way only the best documentaries can.
03/17/06
You can see the direction that the documentary started to take, but thanks to the sudden shift in content, it has an unfinished feeling.
03/17/06
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03/11/06
Regardless of its shortcomings, The Boys of Baraka introduces a project that seems to do for Baltimore what Jaime Escalante did for inner-city Latino kids in Los Angeles. For this we must be grateful.
03/11/06
Almost brazenly bereft of artistic shaping, The Boys of Baraka still has the core of direct, human interest that sustains many documentaries.
03/10/06
A potent mixture of heartbreak and crushing irony.
03/03/06
A potent emotional experience.
03/03/06
Top CriticIt is all very sketchy and superficial.
03/02/06
Here is a movie that makes you want to do something. Cry, or write a check, or howl with rage.
03/02/06
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