The Public ( Emilio Esteves, 2018): USA

Review by Breana Jimenez Viewed at The Santa Barbara Film Festival, 2018.

Having seen this film twice now I am confident in saying this is a film you should see. Initially apprehensive in the way that the homeless population is portrayed I have to say Emilio Esteves created complicated and lovable characters. Having The Public set in a library was reminiscent of The Breakfast Club instead of running away from this similarity, Esteves makes a conscious decision to have the setting, wardrobe and angles play homage.
This story deals with a topic that most people are aware of yet choose to ignore, homelessness. Films like The Public are important because it sheds light on important topics in an entertaining way. Never guilt tripping the general population on the way we treat homeless people instead they focus on why we can no longer ignore this issue. Some of the men have mental illness, loss of a job, a veteran or simply being the “other” in society. These are situations that can happen to anyone so homelessness isn’t a problem for them to figure out but for us, as a community to fight together.

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Published:
02.20.18 / 5pm
Category:
Films, Santa Barbara Film Festival 2018