ManiakJiggy This is How Movies Should Be Made

DipitySkillful an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Strangers No More" is a 40-minute documentary from 2010 that after some unsuccessful attempts brought directors Goodman and Simon (also spouses) eventually their Oscar. You don't see it too often though that a film wins an Oscar, but does not have another award or nomination just like this one here. Anyway, this is about an Israeli school, in which many many young children from all over the world are united, mostly from crisis countries, and the film mostly elaborates on how these children manage to learn a common language that helps them not only communicate verbally with their teachers, but also with each other obviously. A nice title reference in fact. And an interesting subject too. But I found the execution in detail so disappointing here. The film loses itself in random sequences many times that feel slightly staged and scripted when we see the school employees talk to parents of these kids for examply, of new comer kids. Or the music scenes near the end, which added absolutely nothing positive. The consequence is that this film which could have been a quality documentary at 90 minutes too never really gets under the surface and really never manages to make the statement or provide the insight that it could have. The subject, i.e. this school, definitely deserved better in my opinion. Quite a pity and I must say I cannot agree with the Oscar win here really. I would even say there's a good chance I'd eventually call it the weakest Best Documentary Short nominee from its year and it was so sad how this film really wanted to make an emotional statement at times, but came oh so short. Thumbs down. Watch something else instead.

Lee Eisenberg I interpreted this look at a multi-ethnic school in Tel Aviv to mean that deep down, we're all the same. Race is a social construct; in reality we're all human. "Strangers No More" won the 2010 Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. I've never heard of Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon, but I'd like to see more of their work now. Seeing a documentary about a school whose students come from 48 different countries will do that to you.However, there was something missing. Someone should have addressed the conflict with Palestine. It's good that Israel has a school that caters to people from all over the world, but what do these students think of the whole Israel-Palestine thing? If they're moving to Israel, they must have an opinion about it.Otherwise it's a good documentary.

maceoin I'm glad PlanktonRules enjoyed this charming documentary. But I was puzzled by his/her comment that 'despite being in Israel, the school is open to all religions, ethnicities and nations.' What sort of country does he/she think Israel is? Israelis come from almost every corner of the earth, from all over Europe and America, from Africa, from almost every Muslim country, from Russia. It's actually the most ethnically and religiously diverse country in the Middle East and beyond. It's important to stress this because the school emerges precisely out of this welcoming attitude and this ability to create a unifying culture out of so many. The little boy who could not speak Hebrew is far from the first. It was because so many Jews spoke so many languages that it was decided to revive Hebrew as a spoken language, and the Israeli achievement in doing so is inspiring.

lor_ It isn't often I get hopeful about the future, especially education and possibilities for underprivileged kids, but STRANGERS NO MORE is truly inspirational. I hope this well-made documentary gets consideration in the upcoming Oscar race.We are presented with a school year at Bialik-Rogozin School in Tel Aviv, focusing on the progress of half a dozen students, and showing in the process the caring, "go the extra mile" attitudes of the faculty and staff.Principal student covered is Johannes, an Eritrean refugee by way of Sudan. At age 12 he's had zero schooling and is painfully shy, let alone unable to communicate in either Hebrew or English at the school. We see his transformation, learning Hebrew, getting fitted with eyeglasses (a true necessity) and eventually serving as an interpreter in the Tigrit language to a newly admitted student later in the year. It's amazing and impressive progress.His dad is also featured, a mild-mannered guy who just wants to make a living and support his family. When he meets with the principal Karen Tal to help him through the red tape to secure a work visa, he comments in halting English that he's come here (from Eritrea/Ethiopia and later a Sudan refugee camp) to escape finally from war and violence, and Tal kindly reminds him, hey - Israel is right in the middle of it! Political issues such as the ongoing/never-ending Israeli/Palestine struggle are not alluded to specifically in the film, since that is not what it's about. As the title suggests, it is about making a true melting pot (I live in New York City, the symbolic world melting pot of sorts) where foreigners can be integrated into a true community and given new chances for self-realization. For K-12 education, clearly this school is a role model.Other key players, with winning stories, include Mohammed from Darfur, and the lovely Esther (with a movie star smile) from South Africa, both of whom qualify for the "Most Likely to Succeed" caption under their photos in a high school yearbook. Far more than the expected B'nai B'rith campaign film, STRANGERS carries a universal message.