Best Kept Secret

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Best Kept Secret

2013

1h 25m

Documentary

Drama

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Popcornmeter

100%

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10 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

A New Jersey schoolteacher named Janet Mino works tirelessly to ensure that her students with special needs reach their maximum potential.

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Ronnie Scheib

Variety

Unlike the majority of autism docus about white, middle-class children, Samantha Buck's film examines the poverty of options available to working-class black and Latino young adults once they leave the safe confines of the classroom.

Sep 9, 2013

Full Review

Frank Scheck

The Hollywood Reporter

This deeply moving but thankfully unsentimental doc is both inspiring and depressing.

Sep 9, 2013

Full Review

Miriam Bale

New York Times

It spotlights an important issue yet never seeks to squeeze the truth into an easily digestible narrative frame. Instead it expands its storytelling to the boundaries of messy, joyful and painful reality.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 6, 2013

Full Review

Ernest Hardy

L.A. Weekly

The real star is teacher Janet Mino, whose advocacy for her kids goes above and beyond.

Sep 9, 2013

Full Review

Brent Simon

Shockya.com

An engaging documentary that flirts with heartbreak and despair while also showcasing the better angels of human nature.

Rated: B

Sep 8, 2013

Full Review

Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

This is one secret that deserves to be shouted about.

Rated: 3.5/5

Sep 7, 2013

Full Review

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Audience Member

A heartbreaking look at how autistic adults, especially those who are poor, fall through the cracks. They can't work. They can't live independently. They're too old for school. If they're lucky, a family member will take care of them. But many are left to fend for themselves. Robbed by scam artists. Sexually molested by predators. Locked up in prison because there's nowhere else for them to go. The solution is investing in universal healthcare and a social welfare network, but Americans are way too cheap and ignorant to do that. The right to life, liberty and happiness only exists if you're rich.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I loved this documentary. It exposes an issue that our society needs to be more about. Well directed and inspiring.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

a sad and so true documentary about schooling and education and then how some students fall thru the cracks...this is about a primarily autistic school and the problems their families face as they graduate high school and are pushed into the world.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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Audience Member

Brilliantly told and eye opening film. Janet Mino is a saint.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

best documentary I have ever seen.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is one of the best documentaries of the decade! It also is a sad look at special ed and low income families who are reliant on the education system to help raise and care for their children with needs. These families dread the day that their children become adults and the supports of the education system are removed. It is a must see for everyone in the US!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

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Samantha Buck

Director

Alyce Barnhardt

Actor

Carla Byrd

Actor

Robert Caspar

Actor

Johnson Green

Actor

Matthew McNabb

Actor

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Synopsis

A New Jersey schoolteacher named Janet Mino works tirelessly to ensure that her students with special needs reach their maximum potential.

Director: Samantha Buck
Producer: Danielle Di Giacomo
Screenwriter: Samantha Buck, Francisco Bello, Zeke Farrow
Distributor: Argot Pictures
Production Co: BKS Film, Occasional Giant Beard
Genre: Documentary, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 6, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 19, 2014
Runtime: 1h 25m

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