Skin

God knows there's certainly enough pedantic productions on race relationships, AIDS, and drug and alcohol abuse. So it's always a pleasant surprise to see a film take an innovative approach to one of these subjects. Skin, a Canadian film, focuses on the experiences of three teenagers from minority groups: a Black student who is discriminated against by her teacher Mr. Lizard (accent on the second syllable), a Vietnamese boy who is fired from his janitorial job because of his race, and a girl from India who lies to her boyfriend about her origins (she claims she's Persian) for fear that he will drop her. The messages from these young people come through loud and clear--discrimination hurts. But the filmmakers have taken a creative and eminently human look at the problem rather than offering a rote recitation of statistics or a rigidly serious drama. The end result is precisely what this kind of film should accomplish: students watching will wish that these three kids were their friends; not because of their skin color, but because they're interesting people. Highly recommended for junior high school libraries and public libraries who can afford it. (See BREAD AND HONEY for availability.)