DVD Review: The Public

The Public
[DVD Public]

The Public was a passion project for Emilio Estevez, who not only wrote and directed this film but who also starred in it. Estevez plays Stuart Goodson, a librarian with the main downtown Cincinnati Public Library. During a brutal cold streak one winter, the homeless and transient users of the library end up staging a “sit-in” or takeover of the library — non-violently refusing to leave at closing time, for fear of dying from the outdoor conditions. Goodson and other library employees wind up locked inside the library with a large group of the homeless — barricaded to prevent the police from coming in to remove them from the library.

This film explores a lot of important issues, including what the library’s role is in serving the public, where do the lines get drawn in how much support the library staff can provide to people with physical and mental issues, and what does it mean to be a functioning and contributing member of society. But it’s also a character study — mainly of Goodson (who has some secrets that are revealed as the plot progresses), but also of his library co-workers. There are some excellent performances, including Alec Baldwin as a crisis negotiator, and several of the actors portraying the homeless men and women who take over the library.

As a librarian, I appreciated the in-depth look at some of the kinds of issues I and my co-workers encounter on a daily basis. As a movie fan, I can strongly recommend this a well-made, thought-provoking drama.

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official The Public web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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