The Last Repair Shop was another one of the Oscar nominated documentary films we watched at a theatre here in San Antonio. It documented the lives of four people who work in a large warehouse in Los Angelos repairing the instruments of 80,000 public school children involved in the city's music program.
It is the last such shop in the United States.
We are introduced to four children whose instruments mean the world to them and they tell us how music has changed their lives.
Then we meet the four people who have repaired each of their instruments and they share their life stories.
The man who repairs pianos is an Armenian refugee who fled to the United States with his mother after his father was brutally murdered.
The fellow who repairs woodwinds is a former music performer who gained international fame and did a concert tour with Elvis Presley.
The woman who fixes brass instruments is a single mother who initially was an illegal immigrant from Mexico.
The man who repairs the string instruments came out as gay in the 1960s at a time when LGBTQ people faced so much discrimination and hatred.
We learn how devoted and dedicated the four people are to repairing kids' instruments. Their work means so much to them because they know they are making a difference in the lives of the children who own each instrument they fix.
In a time when so many schools are cutting their music programs to save money this is an important film that shows how music can be a game changer for children. As one reviewer put it- these people aren't just repairing instruments, they are repairing children and families and communities.
The movie was incredibly heartwarming. I was in tears. I hope it wins the Oscar.
You can watch the film here on You Tube and here on Vimeo.
If you do watch it I'd love to know what you thought.
Other posts............
So Cool!
International Music Day
Come From Away- A Musical For Our Time
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