It just came to my attention that the documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor (2018) is available on Netflix.
You might recall me talking and writing a lot about last year. It is one of the documentaries / movies of my life about a personality that i came to learn about very late in my life.
Fred Rogers, known to many as Mr. Rogers, was a Children's TV show host
who forever changed the scope of American television. Through his
program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, he would go inside people's home to
talk in a language that would resonate both with children and adults,
speaking about love, compassion as well as how to deal with hard topics and "negative emotions" that people go through everyday. The man was well ahead of his time and his approach was radical.
People like this are hard to come by...
Of open heart and open mind... who aren't afraid of sharing, of emotional intimacy... who seek to spread love and joy at all times and who work (because it requires work) to bring out the best from others, as well as ourselves.
When I first saw the trailer for the documentary, I knew nothing about the man or his show, but instantly was drawn to it. Certain trades of the main character, aligned with the editing and the music, made me feel goosebumps from the get go and suddenly I had this urge to find out more.
I spoke with a couple of American friends who grew up watching Mr Rogers and raved about him.
He was becoming more and more fascinating in my eyes.
Soon after it got released, the documentary received high praise from critics (98% on Rotten Tomatoes).
People like this are hard to come by...
Of open heart and open mind... who aren't afraid of sharing, of emotional intimacy... who seek to spread love and joy at all times and who work (because it requires work) to bring out the best from others, as well as ourselves.
When I first saw the trailer for the documentary, I knew nothing about the man or his show, but instantly was drawn to it. Certain trades of the main character, aligned with the editing and the music, made me feel goosebumps from the get go and suddenly I had this urge to find out more.
I spoke with a couple of American friends who grew up watching Mr Rogers and raved about him.
He was becoming more and more fascinating in my eyes.
Soon after it got released, the documentary received high praise from critics (98% on Rotten Tomatoes).
I was starting to build a massive
hype, which let me tell you, it didn't disappoint.
Despite being snubbed at
the Oscars (to me it should have been a certifiable winner, let alone
nominated), it did well with audiences as well (94% audience score on
RT and 8.4 on iMDB) and went on to spread the legacy of what is deemed
by many to be an important contemporary historical / pop-culture figure.
It's an important body of work about a man who we should all be acquainted with. I can say it has really provided me with more energy and strength to promote a good outlook in life, to have something more to strive for and to be more in connection with myself and my surroundings. It has also delivered a proxy role-model, that somehow, despite feeling intangible, added to my purpose in life to achieve my best self.
Not long after the doc came out, a biopic A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood (2019) was released with Tom Hanks playing Mr. Rogers, a role which got him an Oscar nomination for "Best Supporting Actor".
I've placed it under my "Top 10 of 2019", but will admit to some bias as in it we have my favorite actor playing one of my favorite personalities.
I remember watching it at a cinema in Atlanta and I treated the whole thing like an event.
Right there and then, watching that film was the most important thing in the world... and although it didn't live up to the same level the documentary, it still shook me at points and delivered two amazing performances from Matthew Rhys and Mr. Hanks.
So, please please please... try and watch this documentary and only then, if you enjoyed what you saw, get your hands on the biopic.
