Small Wonders (1995)

Based on the same story as Music of the Heart, this film follows the work of Roberta Guaspari, a music teacher who teaches violin to elementary school students in Harlem. As a documentary, it doesn’t really work for me. It has the aesthetic of a personal interest story from the evening news and has only about as much story to share as one of those pieces. There’s not much flow to the narrative nor even a clear sense of the timeline it encompasses. It is cool to the kids hard at work and for some of them, the culmination of that work giving them the chance to play with world-class violinists. 

Oscar Nomination: Best Documentary, Features