“Night School”
“Night School,” an epic documentary directed by Andrew Cohn, highlights the realities of adult education in this day and age. The 85-minute documentary is filled with emotion as Cohn takes the viewer on an emotional journey through the main subjects’ lives. Greg Henson, Shynika Jakes, and Melissa Lewis are the documentary’s chief subjects who enroll at the Excel Center. This is an Indianapolis-based learning institution with approximately all-black learners aimed at allowing them to acquire their high school diplomas. The film informs the viewer of crucial statistics that over 1.2 million students in the US drop out of high school every year (00:01:20). The statistics lay the foundation for the central theme of the film that focuses on adult education. The film showcases the challenges one may face as they return later to school after dropping out since as one gets older, life gets more challenging. This paper seeks to review the film and highlight the aspects that stood out together with the surprise factor.
“Night School” aptly displays three people who are working significantly hard to change the arc of their lives. They are doing this by redirecting their lives back to the world of education to get high school diplomas. They are in search of a second chance at life through education. Cohn highlights the story in such a way that it ends up being a story of an inspiring journey of second chances despite the challenges in the lives of the documentary subjects. In most cases, adult dropouts pursue a GED, which is equivalent to a diploma. However, according to one of the educators in the documentary, the GED does not set apart from the utter dropouts (00:23:10). Therefore, the actual high school diploma would help the adults get ahead in life, especially with the job market and earnings. However, it was more difficult for the three subjects as they had other responsibilities in life.
The film first highlights the life of Greg Henson. He is a 31-year-old single father of one beautiful girl. He is seen to play often and make fun with his daughter. His story emerges from when he dropped out of school to make quick cash on selling drugs. Hence, he had dwelt on the immediate and instant gratification and lacked the need to wait to graduate with a diploma to make money. Greg is at a point in life where he knows and understands that he needs to provide for his baby girl. He repeatedly highlights that he needs a career and not a job to cater to his child’s needs adequately. He is smart and charismatic, but his lack of a diploma and presumably a criminal past makes it difficult for him to show that. The college diploma would be the first step to help him build a career that has a chance of giving him a more stable income and foundation to bring up his family. The film highlights some of his challenges, such as when his daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy.
Melissa’s story is different from the rest. The 52-year-old lady does not want to be alone in her old age and somehow thinks that getting the high school diploma will give her more opportunities in life. She has been in the class for a while and only needs to pass her algebra class to fulfill her long-time objective of receiving a diploma. Cohn highlights her story giving it a twist of giving up almost when one is about to achieve the goal. When Excel Center’s 2015 class was graduating, she was supposed to be with them, but it was impossible since she gave up almost to the end. She is seen to shed tears as Greg and Jakes received their diplomas together with other members of the class (01:15:13). However, she eventually graduated with the following class.
Jakes is the youngest of the subjects as she is 26-years-old. She has a dream of becoming a nurse. In an emotional concession, Jakes states that she thought her life would have been at a better structure by then. She works shifts at the Arby’s, which was on the top floor of her school but remains homeless and lives in her car. Another stressor emerges in that she is underpaid and treated unfairly as she prioritizes school overwork. She highlights the narrative of numerous dropouts in the service industry who survive on minimum wages that could not afford her rent. Cohn parallels Jakes’s efforts in school with her growth in the workplace, where her confidence is boosted significantly after the strike demanding better wages. Her climb throughout the film is remarkable and offers a great lesson to the ardent viewers.
The major highlight that stood out for me was Cohn’s abiliCohn’slet the stories of Greg, Melissa, and Jakes play out without much production interference. Proper documentaries are handles by good listeners who make excellent documentarians, and Cohn is one of them. “Night School” stays true to the idea and, therefore, avoids various pitfalls along the path that may affect the documentary’s authenticity. Furthermore, Cohn allows the story to be stretched out from the constraints of the school experience. The film highlights pressure not only from the school but also from the world around the subjects. For example, a challenging job or the tragedies of life. This enables the viewer to get the real picture of studying while old, where one is worried about comparatively more things than an average teenager.
The film is exceptional in its narration; however, some questions emerge on more profound thought concerning several facets of the film. One central question is, how does Jakes manage to balance her job with studying, considering she has several worries in life like living in her car? This may lead one to think that some relevant material has been left on the cutting room floor, thus marginalizing some film’s driving factors. A possible question may lead one to question how Melissa affords to live in her own house by herself. However, it gives the viewer some room for mystery and invoking thought and presumption.
The film’s surprising factor was the ability that the director Cohn had in capturing the quiet and dignified moments that evoked a lot of emotions. He lets the pathos of Greg, Melissa, and Jakes come out with little effort integrating some sense of empathy. By focusing on the three characters, Cohn gave the viewer a more personal understanding of the happenings when one goes back to school as an adult. There are several assumptions made in the film that also form part of the surprise factor. The film assumes that having a diploma gives one a sure chance of success, failing to consider numerous diploma holders who still hold jobs with meager wages. However, the film does tremendously well in explaining the importance of focusing on education in the earlier years to avoid the challenges that may emerge later when one has greater responsibilities. In conclusion, Cohn exemplarily highlights a story of determination while encouraging the younger viewers not to dropout as going back to school later has some significant challenges.