Fly by Light

Gr 9 Up—This documentary follows a nine-month West Virginian wilderness retreat and peace education program for 14 teenagers from Washington, DC, called Fly by Light. Using intensive experiences with nature, meditation, mindfulness, and vulnerability, the educators hope to give the teens the tools to break the cycle of poverty and violence. While beautifully put together and possibly inspiring, the film does not offer much concrete information for educators to build on, presenting instead a more impressionistic overview of the curriculum and practices. The subjects are sympathetically profiled, but it is hard to get a firm handle on where most of the students are coming from before they participate in the program. This film could be a good option for students to watch, but owing to the profound differences between the subjects' experience and culture and the viewers', a lot of groundwork should be laid to prevent this from becoming voyeuristic.