American Promise

In 1999, when Dr. Joe Brewster and Michelle Stephenson enrolled their then 5-year-old son Idris in Dalton School—one of NYC's most elite private schools—the couple also began filming the boy's scholastic odyssey, following him all the way to college applications. But this is no mere vanity doc; Idris and his best friend, Seun, are among the very few students of color at Dalton and their young lives in and out of class expose issues of racial alienation, accusations by peers of "acting too white," and adolescent diagnoses of learning disorders—attention-deficit for Idris, dyslexia for Seun (who eventually leaves Dalton for Brooklyn's Benjamin Banneker School instead). Along the way, viewers also witness family dramas and tragedies (especially for Seun's household), first love, the historic Obama presidential campaign, and friction between Idris's highly competitive parents over their teen son's chronic lack of initiative. Brewster and Stephenson have, enterprisingly enough, also presented this material in a book, Promises Kept. Featuring the 135-minute full-length film, along with 80-minute, 45-minute, and 30-minute abridgments, extras include discussion guides. Highly recommended. [Note: this is also available with public performance rights for $495 from Ro*co Films Educational, www.rocoeducational.com.] Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)