Crotty's Kids (2014)

• 95%
• 2014

Told with humor and suspense, and shot in a gritty verite style reflecting its unvarnished South Bronx milieu, Crotty's Kids follows five Eagle Academy debaters as they evolve from content-light amateurs to critical thinking heavyweights. However, debate is only an ongoing McGuffin to the heart of the story: young men in search of an intellectual father figure. Coach Crotty arrives in their lives with the clock running out. In two years, the young men of Eagle are likely to become grist for a staggering statistic: 50% of urban males never graduate high school. As Crotty's Kids grow in debate, we are pulled into the struggles of their personal lives: poverty, gang violence, a sexual harassment allegation. Layer by layer, scene by scene, we also come closer to the real Crotty. Between the polar extremes of his constructed coach persona, we find a softer side. Interviews with friends and family reveal a man on a mission. However, a series of failed tournaments, parental resistance, and the conflict between Crotty's unique pedagogy and the educational status quo causes him to question whether there is value in his quest.