Hammering It Out

This powerful documentary about women in the construction industry limns the progress of a group of women hired to help build a billion-dollar stretch of freeway in Los Angeles during the '80s and '90s. Their entry into the construction arts resulted from a "community initiated lawsuit," the outcome of which mandated a workforce made up of 65% minority workers and 10% women. Director/producer Vivian Price (she holds a Ph.D. and, even more impressive, is a union electrician), a lecturer in film studies and political science at her alma mater, UC-Irvine, worked as an electrician in the early '80s, one of a half-dozen female members in her 5,000-member International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local. Needless to say, the highway project's male workers' reactions to women co-workers was mixed at best in the beginning, but as the women matured into skilled, experienced workers, they eventually were accepted as part of the team. Sparkling cinematography, impeccable pacing and a nice soundtrack (especially for a production largely undertaken on a construction site) all augment this fine production, but it's the positive story about what people can accomplish when given a break that makes this title highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (M. Tribby)