As "The Last Repair Shop" (2023 release; 39 min.) opens, the opening credits reminds us that Los Angeles is one of the last cities providing repaired instruments for free to its public students, who are more likely than not minorities. We are then introduced to a a young Black girl as she speaks into the camera: "I love the violin!", and she tells her story how she became enamored with the violin. In a parallel story, we are introduced to a guy whose is responsible for fixing string instruments like the violin. At this point we are 5 minutes into the film.
Couple of comments: "The Last Repair Shop" profiles 4 students and 4 repair people. Each and every single one of them has a deeply human and moving story as to their background and how they ended up taking up an instrument or repairing these instruments. This short documentary demonstrates the power of storytelling. No social effects needed! The film itself is carefully crafted. I was in particular impressed by the score that is featured, itself a marvel of classical music. I must admit that when the end credits started rolling, I was emotionally not ready to say goodbye to these people and their incredible soties.
"The Last Repair Shop" earned a well-deserved Short Documentary Oscar nomination. I was not familiar with the film at all, until I saw a "For Your Consideration" ad for it in the Sunday New York Times this weekend. The ad mentioned that this is now streaming on Hulu, and I immediately decided to check it out. So glad I did. If you are in the mood for a deeply moving and uplifting movie experience that will remind us of the value of the arts in our schools and communities, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.
