OT: Our Town

This is a charming and tiny documentary about the first student play performed at Compton’s Dominguez High School in 20 years. Strangely, that play is Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, which is not exactly what people think of when they think of Compton. Cut together with scenes from the PBS production of Our Town that starred Hal Holbrook and Robbie Benson, OT presents a compelling look at a bunch of kids who fail to meet any of the stereotypes of Compton that have been perpetrated by gangsta rappers in the last 20 years. Girls who like Justin Timberlake, boys who cry and wear Ozzy T-shirts and a teacher who cares about dramaturgy come together to make a surprisingly decent production. Director Scott Hamilton Kennedy and star Catherine Borek (a graduate of Tucson’s Canyon Del Oro High School) will be present on Dec. 7 at the 11:30 a.m. Sunday Brunch Screening of OT: Our Town at the Loft, and on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 10 a.m., there will be a free screening for high school drama students and teachers where the filmmakers will be present. That screening is by invitation only: Contact the Tucson Cinema Foundation offices at 529-0764 for more information.