Troop 1500 (2005) User Reviews

Forgotten victims

[ekolodny-4 · 9/10 · 4 November 2005]

This is a wonderful film documenting the effect on girls with mothers in prison. The film is not an educational video and documentaries do not have to be entirely objective. In order to make a really moving documentary, the filmmakers necessarily have to get close to their subjects. These filmmakers did just that, spending months with the girls in Troop 1500 before even turning on a camera. The film follows the lives of seven girls, most in their pre-teens, and their incarcerated mothers. Troop 1500 is a Girl Scout troop in Austin, Texas that offers support to these girls and moms. The film is honest about why the moms are in prison (contrary to the previous review) and the failures of the program, as well as the successes. It is refreshing to see inmates portrayed as more than just one-dimensional bad people; this film shows the effects of incarceration on the children of prisoners.

In addition to just being a really interesting topic, the film is engrossing and entertaining. I thought the soundtrack was great. It's not supposed to be a depressing movie. It's about hope and love and life, and the tone is appropriately serious yet not melodramatic. I had the fortune of seeing this film in a class at UTexas Law School and had a Q&A with two of the social workers involved with the troop. They are very inspiring women who really care about these girls and their relationships with their moms, and have had some great success stories from the program.

brilliant documentary!

[ajaguayo · 9/10 · 2 December 2005]

This film is a compelling exploration of the complex relationship between the mother-daughter relationship and the rearing of young women under duress. Set in the context of a unique Girl Scout troop whose mothers are in prison, the film explores the problematic phenomenon of isolated families with creative force. Spiro is a talent cinematographer who gives the girl scouts their own voice by teaching them how to use the tools of production to document their own story. Some of the most touching scenes come from the young women interviewing their mothers about the realities of prison life. Few films of this nature avoid the exploitation that might arise from documenting the troubled lives of those who get little support or recognition in society. Spiro takes great care to negotiate the fine line between representation and serving the community being documented. In addition, the striking images of prison life juxtaposed with girls at play are a powerful reminder of the film's for problematic. This film is definitely a must see.

Amazing film, superb style and radical content

[jockomo-1 · 10/10 · 2 December 2005]

I saw this film at the South by Southwest Film Festival where I was privileged to hear several of the "subjects" of the film speak. Not only was I impressed with the level of dedication of the filmmaker, but with the incredible virtuosity of the film-making itself. The cinematography evoked the deepest emotional states of the characters and the strange beauty of the harsh prison environment. Filmmakers made an engaging, dramatic and compelling film while also staying sensitive to the subjects. The subjects could easily have been seen as victims, but instead they were empowered to tell their own stories within the framework of the filmmaker's profound storytelling vision. Though this film has many political implications, it is not a "political" film. It steers clear of easy points and summaries and paints a complex portrait of complex characters caught up in a severely flawed legal system that punishes children more than adults. If you can see this film, SEE IT! It is the best documentary I have seen in years. In fact, I recently read that it will be on PBS as part of the Independent Lens series.

Truly remarkable documentary !!!

[sandrasolomon76 · 10/10 · 2 December 2005]

I saw this film at the Dallas Video Festival, with several girl scouts present. Having never been a girl scout, I had my own pre-conceived notions that it is just for white middle class girls. TROOP 1500 totally turned my thinking around about the girlscouts and about women in prison.

Director does a difficult balancing act and succeeds brilliantly; the girls are both empowered and shown to be vulnerable but they give the viewer hope. Though they are going through the worst trauma, they are strong and we are left feeling that they will succeed. Unfortunately, some of the mothers may not, but the beauty and power of the program portrayed in the film is that the girls destinies are not inextricably linked to their mothers. In addition to the incredible story of the girls and their moms and their unstoppable troop leader, this is a beautiful constructed film with a keen visual sensibilty and seamless editing style.

While the mothers in the film are presented as the flawed characters that they are, we are given the opportunity to relate to them and understand how easy it would be to wind up in their shoes. The film has no easy answers to a complex problem but does a brilliant job at shedding light on the girls who are the real victims of harsh prison sentences.

A MUST SEE FILM for mothers, daughters, filmmakers, prison employees and, of course, girl scouts.

A fierce, urgently attentive work of art.

[marcusrose75 · 10/10 · 7 December 2005]

I was lucky to see TROOP 1500 in its full feature length version at the Dallas Video Fest. I hear there is a shorter version which will be broadcast on TV. Quite frankly, I have never seen a documentary which is both artistically innovative and radical in its content. The idea of girls interviewing their own mothers in jail is nothing short of GENIUS and I cannot imagine any other filmmakers telling this story with as much wisdom, heart, soul and depth. Ellen Spiro and Karen Bernstein have presented an eye-opening gift to the world, a film which will make it hard to ignore the children of incarcerated mothers. I see every documentary I possibly can, including the big commercial hits like Fahrenheight 911, but TROOP 1500 is BY FAR the best one I can remember. I wish it would be seen in every cineplex in America, but the next best thing is to see it on DVD or television in its shorter form. Highly recommended from someone who is as critical and cynical as anyone. TROOP 1500 is a fierce, urgently attentive work of art.

I did not like this film.

[JustinJHyman · 5/10 · 22 December 2007]

I gave this film, what I consider, the liberal rating of 5 because of how hard it must be for the girls in the film to live the life they are leading.I don't know if this is the directors first film or how long they took making it but although, the subject matter is intense and worthy, under the poor direction it becomes nothing but a meandering piece of shoddy camera work, poor recording and terrible soundtrack choices. The film maker failed to capture any real understanding of what it must be like live without your mom and instead makes the girls seem more like characters rather than actual children. It should be noted that I am not referring to any of the interviews shot by the girls themselves. These were actually quite poignant and touching. In fact, the only time the film failed to seem contrived was when the girls themselves were in charge. Even so, the way these interviews were edited into the film felt like farce. This movie seems to me more of a celebration of the female spirit instead of a true look into these girls lives. Clearly lacking is why any of these mothers are incarcerated. This question, along with many other unanswered, would help to make this more of a real documentary. There needs to be a time when you step back from your own personal opinion, cut the rolling scenes of giggling school girls and decide if you are going to make a documentary or an op-ed piece. I would like to see this same subject matter covered by a film maker who has, at least, some talent in the art of objectivity. This is, of course, my opinion and if the filmmaker can not handle it then she will (again) have my review taken down.

I recommend this film/movie to anybody who is interested in civil liberties, or to put it another way 'life in the greatest democracy on earth.'

[pennybrice · 4 December 2005]

I saw Troop 1500 at the Savannah Film Festival and was struck by the incredible content. This follows a group of girls whose mothers are in prison, who get access only for 4 hours every month through a program run by the girl scouts. The film makers' ability to tell the stories of the girls and their mothers, through fostering the involvement of the group in the film-making process gave an intimate and wholly empathetic viewpoint to the audience without being in anyway exploitative and voyeuristic. I spent the rest of the day feeling choked up and frankly frightened by the punitive approach taken by the American court system. I applaud the filmmakers for their unadulterated and honest approach and their exposure of this discarded subject; the wider impact of incarceration and its circle of influence, namely the effect on family and friends. Just look to the ongoing views of successive administrations in this country on mandatory minimum sentences and the total disregard for individual circumstance and quake! Civil liberties are being abused on your doorstep! Pull your head out of the sand and address this before you slip up! Look beyond the low budget camera footage and see the REALITY before it smacks you in the face.