Route One/USA 1989
Distributed by Icarus Films, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Produced by Richard Copans
Directed by Robert Kramer
Streaming, 255 mins
General Adult
Multiculturalism; Travel and Tourism
Date Entered: 01/04/2021
Reviewed by Patti McCall-Wright, Systematic Review Librarian, University of FloridaRobert Kramer’s 1989 Route One/USA has been newly restored and digitized and feels as relevant today as it did thirty years ago. A physician, played by Paul “Doc” McIsaac, has spent ten years in Africa and returns to the United States deciding to travel the entire length of U.S. Route One, from a northern Maine town near the Canadian border to Florida’s Key West. Kramer films his fictional doctor talking to fascinating people along the way, from native Penobscotts in Maine, patrons in a Georgia diner, homeless, evangelicals, Jesse Jackson, Pat Robertson, and Vietnam veterans and many fascinating oddities along the way. The filming captures the unique and quirky personalities with a certain elegant simplicity. Even the soundtrack, simple cello, seems somewhat amused by this journey through American life. The economic, racial, and social challenges faced decades ago bear a strikingly resemblance today, making Kramer’s film just as relevant.
Awards:
Mayor's Award, Film Festival of Yamagata, Japan; Special Mention, Festival dei Popoli Florence, Italy; IDFA International Documentary Festival Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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