2 Million Minutes is a well-crafted documentary that focuses on the experiences of a handful of students in order to explore how education affects the ever-expanding global economy. Following six subjects—two each from the U.S., China, and India—the film compares how each adolescent spends the approximately two million minutes between the start of 9th grade and high school graduation. Economists, scholars, politicians, and experts in related fields explain here how the U.S. pulled ahead (after WWII left much of the rest of the world in ruins, and the Soviet Sputnik launch motivated educators to focus on education), especially in the areas of math and science. Today, however, the U.S. has fallen behind. Filmmakers Robert Compton, Chad Heeter, and Adam Raney illustrate the stark contrast between America's loose attitudes toward education and those of other cultures, and reminds viewers that since—in author Thomas Friedman's words—the world has become “flat,” the U.S. may ultimately find itself threatened in the global economy. One of the American students profiled here hopes to maintain the level of success he has enjoyed in high school, even though he admits that he doesn't work hard and spends most of his time playing video games. A student in China, on the other hand, reads a physics textbook every night before he goes to sleep. Clever video segments are interspersed using racecars and ‘80s low-resolution video game graphics to illustrate how far the U.S. lags behind. 2 Million Minutes subtly underscores the fact that America's future success will depend upon better educating our children, who will help determine the country's competitiveness in the expanding global economy. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (A. Jacobson)
2 Million Minutes
(2007) 54 min. DVD: $25: individuals; $100: public libraries & high schools; $200: colleges & universities. Broken Pencil Productions. PPR. Volume 23, Issue 5
2 Million Minutes
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