Skip to footer

'Midsummer in Newtown' does not oversell the restorative power of art

( Unrated ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

The documentary depicts a group of artists from New York who came to Newtown in the wake of the tragedy to stage a production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with the local schoolchildren, almost all of whom were present when the shooting took place. 

|
Courtesy of Participant Media and Vulcan Productions
Sammy Vertucci backstage in a scene from the movie ‘Midsummer in Newtown.’
  • By Peter Rainer Film critic

Last fall, the documentary “Newtown” showcased the Connecticut community torn apart by the tragic 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting. “Midsummer in Newtown,” directed by Lloyd Kramer, takes a different approach to the same subject. It’s about a group of artists from New York who came to Newtown in the wake of the tragedy to stage a production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with the local schoolchildren, almost all of whom were present when the shooting took place. 

The restorative power of art is not oversold here. It’s clear that for many of these children, and for their parents, some of whom lost loved ones, the massacre will forever be with them. But there is something wonderful about watching the way, for example, the youngest boy, Tain, perhaps 8 or 9 years old, breaks out of his shell when he gets onstage. In a way, there is something wonderful, as well, in seeing him cry when the production is over. At least now he can fully open up again. Grade: B (This movie is not rated.)

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to 'Midsummer in Newtown' does not oversell the restorative power of art
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Movies/2017/0127/Midsummer-in-Newtown-does-not-oversell-the-restorative-power-of-art
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe