About two-thirds of the way through Starting at Zero, Sharnelia Cook begins to tell her story, and she’s like a cool breeze on a stifling day. Cook went to a state-supported preschool — the subject of the documentary — and talks about how it helped prepare her for a successful life. We don’t see Cook in the context of her life — at school, at work, with friends or family; nope, nope, nope — but at least she’s telling a personal story in an engaging way.
The rest of Starting at Zero is styled like a pharmaceutical commercial crossed with a PowerPoint presentation. The film is mostly a string of repetitive sound bites from politicians (from both parties), plus administrators, academics, nonprofit fundraisers and a few actual educators — all making the case for early childhood education. The intention is worthy and the cause admirable, but their arguments are endless truisms and generalities, with statistics tossed about without any grounding in scientific detail.
For visuals, the film relies on endless footage of well-groomed, squeaky clean, racially diverse, adorably dressed tykes in preschool classrooms and playgrounds, interacting with equally scrubbed (and all-female) teachers. They’re sweet as candy, but none is ever identified or humanized, nor are the locations ever mentioned. It’s great stock footage — and has nothing to do with documentary filmmaking. Save for Cook and a couple of parents who are seen briefly, human narrative is replaced by earnest posturing and dry assertions.
Starting at Zero is the kind of slick, soulless media presentation you expect at an educators’ conference or political convention, but for the average viewer, it will be neither informative nor absorbing. I wish it success. May it go forth and sway votes in state legislatures across the country. Maybe an infomercial can have that power. But maybe an actual documentary would have been a better tool.
Available to rent starting Aug. 14 via fineartstheatre.com.
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