Unforgotten: Twenty-Five Years After Willowbrook

Once upon a time—before the infamous piece on Al Capone's vault and joining Fox News—Geraldo Rivera was considered a serious (if always intense) reporter who produced some solid investigative journalism. One of his best early pieces was a shocking 1972 exposé of the horrific conditions at the Willowbrook State School, a Staten Island facility for mentally disabled children, where a small staff was unable to provide even remotely adequate care for the 5,000-plus residents. Rivera's report was instrumental in helping to move New York away from its warehousing approach and toward a system—already in place in California—of integrating the children into wider society by providing aid to families and establishing group homes. Jack Fischer's documentary Unforgotten: Twenty-Five Years After Willowbrook revisits Rivera's original piece, but the real focus of the film is on several former patients whose family members movingly recount not only the effect of their loved ones' experiences but also talk about more progressive treatment of mentally challenged individuals and changes in public attitudes over the years. All of the cases presented here are poignant, although one involving a misdiagnosed boy who was placed in Willowbrook even though he actually suffered from cystic fibrosis is especially moving. Happily, his present-day joie de vivre brings an uplifting character to this fine documentary that—despite its harrowing subject—is ultimately about resiliency and hope. DVD extras include Rivera's complete report, along with a decade-later follow-up on the ABC news magazine 20/20. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)