Growing up a PBS-watching child of the eighties, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, the award-winning documentary film by Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville, was an easy nostalgic pick for a movie night with my husband of the same age. However we were both surprised. This film does so much more than tell the story of Fred Rogers in that unassuming neighborhood holding space for a make-believe land of trollies, kings, and talking tigers providing social and emotional learning for kids. This documentary reminds us of the power of hope and the heights of human potential with a bit of kindness, compassion, and acceptance.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is a beautiful and moving film. It captures Rogers’ unmistakable gifts working with children and politicians alike, while not shying away from his struggles and acceptance issues.
The documentary is currently on-demand via HBO and available wherever you rent or purchase your favorite films. Runtime is one hour and thirty-five minutes. Whether you grew up with Mister Rogers, or this would be your first visit to the neighborhood, it’s never too late to learn lessons from a great teacher. How do we see and accept ourselves, how do we see and accept others, how do we work together with kindness and respect towards a shared future – questions worth exploring whether five-years-old or fifty.