Film

Movie theaters, reviews and showtimes in New York, plus articles, trailers and more
 

Zoned In (2008)

Director: Daniela Zanzotto

Average user rating
2 reviews

Movie review

From Short Review - NY

*** (Three stars)
This amateurish documentary follows Daniel, an adolescent from a black community in the South Bronx, on his journey to the white-bread banality of Rhode Island. With two brothers in jail and an ex–drug dealer for a mother, Daniel attempts to redeem his family’s history through his own success. He finishes Taft High School, where the graduation rate is an alarming 40 percent, and further defies the odds by making it into an Ivy League college. At Brown University, he struggles, as his privileged white classmates and elevated coursework both irk and alienate him. Through the duration of the film, Daniel continually reassesses his own hopes and beliefs about education, race, family and his roots. While the crude Handycam style and directionless Q&As make this film feel like a work-in-progress, Daniel is so charming and humorous, and his insights on the American educational system so poignant, you almost forget that the picture is shaking the whole time.—Jackie Oberman, junior designer

[This is a TONY staff review, written for the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. It is not considered an official review and should not be read as such. Please think of it as a casual impression from a movie-loving friend.] 

Author:

Short Review - NY

  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

User reviews of this film

  • renee said...
    Posted on May 04 2008 06:53 Great film!
    Report as inappropriate
  • amanda said...
    Posted on May 02 2008 19:16 Zoned In a beautiful documentary depicting 10 years of a young man growing up in the Bronx. This movie shows Daniel's life and thoughts as he moves to Providence Rhode Island to attend college and returns to the Bronx as a high school teacher himself. Daniel's ideas about education, importance of family, growing up in poverty in America forces you to grapple with these intense topics. The movie is shot and was finely put together to tell these inspirational story that leaves you laughing, crying, but mostly thinking. The narrative unfolds beautifully and effortlessly. Each shot seems to capture the essence of the contrast in life between wealth and poverty, between family and isolation. But mostly it is able to reach you and stir something inside to have you fall in love with this family. The music chosen to accompany the scenes and the beautiful way that the camera captures the faces lets you in to this personal story. This is a must see for all educators, politicians, high school and higher education students and falculty, for each and everyone of us who would like to see a change!
    Report as inappropriate

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields


Cast & crew

Director: Daniela Zanzotto


Features

Bridesmaid revisited

Bridesmaid revisited

Anne Hathaway crashes more than a wedding in Rachel Getting Married.

Old-school house

Old-school house

Even in the age of the multiplex, a few old movie theaters continue to thrive in NYC.

Keeping the faith

Hope abounds in Spike Lee’s latest—as it does in the director himself.

Going the distance

TONY toughs out the Toronto International Film Festival, blow by blow.

Race you to the top

Tyler Perry doesn’t need critics—and may not need new audiences.

Spanish intuition

Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall flirt away an Iberian summer in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

To air is human

Man on Wire, a new doc about a surreal Manhattan morning, aims high.