The Act of Reading

Feb 16, 2021

1h 27m

★ 6.0

A voyage of self-discovery...

Overview

A retired high school English teacher is confronted by a former student who failed her class 15 years prior. He then involves her in a feature-length presentation on Moby-Dick and the science of reading.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Barrow House Films

The Act of Reading Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Peter Bergman

Alissa Blumberg

Kristofer Blumberg

Mark Blumberg

A fascinating exploration of the literary — The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, by English playwright William Shakespeare (1604) — and lyrical — Othello, by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (1887) — myth of Othello, the desperately tragic story of a Moorish general in the army of the Venetian Republic whose absurd jealousy poisons his love for his wife Desdemona.

0.0

Here We Go Again!

Feb 1, 2025

Students auditioning for their high school's production of Mamma Mia! go head to head to secure a spot in their coveted spring musical.

6.4

American Teen

Jul 25, 2008

A documentary on seniors at a high school in a small Indiana town and their various cliques.

0.0

The First Class

Sep 23, 2023

An intimate verité film that follows students and educators at a groundbreaking new high school in Memphis. Their inspiring journey shows what learning can look like—and accomplish—when a city comes together to rethink what high school can be.

10.0

Ahab Was Here: Reflections on Moby Dick

Jul 26, 2025

A Bulgarian theater company struggles to adapt Herman Melville's epic "Moby Dick" for the stage, revealing the obsessive dedication and creative challenges faced by cast and crew in their quest to bring an unfilmable masterpiece to life.

0.0

Junkyard Dogs

Jan 1, 2015

A moving, inspirational story that gives viewers a rare glimpse into the world of high school wrestling at one of Los Angeles' most elite and highly touted prep schools. Filled with drama, laughter, and heart, "Junkyard Dogs" is an underdog story that captures the essence of what it takes to be a champion and sheds light on the power and importance of one of the world's oldest sports.

0.0

Scenes from the Glittering World

Jun 2, 2021

At the farthest edge of the Navajo Nation, the purpose and future of the most remote high school in the continental United States is in question while three Indigenous youth grapple with ambitious dreams, family responsibilities, and the isolated nature of their community.

0.0

Full Out: Inside Ohio Show Choir

Oct 14, 2022

Four unique high school show choirs in Ohio prepare themselves to win during their highly-anticipated, grueling and glamorous competition season.

7.0

Bots High

Jan 2, 2010

A documentary following the adventures of three high school robotics teams battling for first place at a national robotics competition in Miami, Florida. Lone wolf Will builds robots so powerful they're unstoppable...if only they don't destroy themselves first. The Mechanical Misfits are an all-girls team stumbling through their first foray into combat robotics, and Elizabeth and Danielle are a formidable pair looking to reign supreme during their senior year.

0.0

Permission to Exist

Dec 3, 2020

In just sixty years, South Korea went from being one of the poorest countries on the Asian continent to having the 12th largest economy in the entire world. Every year, it is measured that Korean students have some of the highest test scores and a higher rate of acceptance into Ivy League schools compared to all other nations. But on the flip side, South Korea also has one of the highest suicide rates in the developed world, the highest gender pay gap of all developed countries, and the highest plastic surgery rate per capita. Always expected to receive top scores and constantly bombarded by media and messages that seem to demand nothing short of visual “perfection,” how do these individuals come to accept and learn to love themselves as they are?

7.2

Resolved

Jan 1, 2007

The fascinating complexity of high school debate gives way to a portrait of the equally complex racial and class bias of American education in Greg Whiteley's riveting documentary.

0.0

In My Own Words

Jun 9, 2017

The raw, heartfelt and often funny journey of adult Aboriginal students and their teachers as they discover the transformative power of reading and writing for the first time.

7.4

Adolescents

Sep 9, 2020

Emma and Anaïs are best friends and yet everything in their life seems to set them apart, their social backgrounds but also their personalities. From the age of thirteen to eighteen, Adolescentes follows the two teenagers during these years where radical transformations and first times punctuate daily life. Through their personal stories, the film offers a rare portrait of France and its recent history.

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0.0

American Cheerleader

Aug 26, 2014

Follows the journey of two high school teams vying for the coveted UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship title.

0.0

American Teenager

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A young woman reflects on her high school drug addiction on a weekend trip to her hometown in Pennsylvania where it took place.

7.2

High School

May 14, 1969

Documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman takes us inside Northeast High School as a fly on the wall to observe the teachers and how they interact with the students.

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0.0

Touched

May 16, 2023

Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, in rural Alsace. A vocational high school. A class of year 12 ASSP (Assistance, Care and Service to Person) pupils experience contemporary dancing based on improvised contacts for the first time.

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0.0

บันทึกลับ ฉบับผิดหวัง

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From a personal vlog to a 3-year life documentary... with an ending yet to be written.

6.1

Freakonomics

Oct 1, 2010

Some of the world's most innovative documentary filmmakers will explore the hidden side of everything.

6.0

My So-Called High School Rank

Sep 30, 2022

A deep dive into the lives of high school students in three radically disparate communities as they navigate the pressures around college while staging a musical, until seismic events upend their dreams and expectations.

The Act of Reading

Overview

Genres

Production Companies

The Act of Reading Trailers