The documentary that we needed to watch for this essay is titled "Suburban America: Problems & Promise." The movie is produced and directed by Ron Rudaitis, and its intended audience are students, community leaders, educators, as well as anyone who is interested in learning about the challenges that suburbs face, their history, as well as the role that they played in shaping the American society.
The primary purpose of the documentary is to inform its audience about suburbia. The film briefly focuses on informing the viewer about the history of suburbs. However, the film's principal role is to illustrate how the existence of suburbs and the dynamics that occur within have been at the forefront of shaping the America's cities and the society.
…show more content…
The film presents a brief history of how suburbs came into existence, and it focuses on listing the challenges that the suburban communities faced many decades ago, as well as challenges that are present today. In addition, the film also shows some events that illustrate that despite some problems that the communities are facing, there are also hopes for positive outcomes. To demonstrate the complexities and the challenges that the suburban communities are facing, the author of the film utilized various locations around the country. The movie shows clips from multiple states that include Colorado, California, Virginia, Ohio, and Illinois. However, some of the main events in the film take place in the various towns of the New York state. One of the main events in the movie is the political race between two New York state senators, Brian Foley and Caesar Trunzo, which took place in 2008. According to the film, before the race, the majority of the New York State Senate was Republican throughout history. However, as Foley defeated Trunzo in the 2008 election, the Senate became Democratic for the first time. This event is a significant one in the film as it illustrates that the citizens of the suburbs have the power and the will to actively participate in their society in order to create better futures for themselves and their communities. Another important event portrayed in the film is the gathering of the neighbors organized to support the then Presidential Candidate, Barack Obama, which took place in 2008. In the meeting, the viewer can observe neighbors of different ages and ethnic backgrounds gathering together to socialize, encourage each other to vote, and celebrate what they believe to be a pivotal and crucial event in their country's history. This event is important as it signifies the positive changes that have occurred in the suburbs