Aruba

In the short drama Aruba, an 11-year-old inner city boy (played by A.J. Saudin) has a terrible life at home (with his drug-addicted mom, who is beaten by her thug of a boyfriend) and at school (where he is bullied). The boy's only escape from his grim existence is a postcard from the island of Aruba, which comes to life in his imagination, and serves as a coping tool. Given the references to violence, guns, theft, drug abuse, and threatened sodomy rape, the National Film Board of Canada has apparently revised its recommendation of Aruba for grades 4-8 (which is the target audience printed on the DVD jacket; the online teacher guide suggests grades 7-up). This second effort from filmmaker Hubert Davis (who was nominated for an Academy Award for his documentary short Hardwood) was selected as a YALSA notable video for young adults; however, it feels like an amalgam of the worst examples of every possible urban stereotype. Not a necessary purchase. Aud: P. (R. Reagan)