WIDESCREEN FOCUS: STEP (2017)
STEP | Fox Searchlight | Directed by Amanda Lipitz | Documentary | 84 min. | NR Full disclosure: this film article was scheduled to release a week before it saw its publish date. Then something happened: Charlottesville, VA. The home of progressively-minded University of Virginia ( and home of Tina Fey for those paying attention to the interwebs this weekend ) and sadly, also home to the most flagrant display of violence and bigotry this country has seen in some 50 years. It simply made this writer rethink the film and its importance during this tumultuous time for all of us. The documentary focus and the people it involves, none directly tie into this disturbing thread of American divisiveness, but it does all the same: as one of the best instruments of nonviolence that can be watched and respected. After interviewing its director (a Jewish, white, Broadway-bred, Tony award-winning producer now filmmaker, it is important to note), it was apparent that the sto...
