Best Kept Secret

Name: Best Kept Secret
Genre: Drama, Documentary
Released: September 6, 2013
Duration: 85 min
Rating: 100

2013

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 4 Critic Reviews

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100

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 36 Ratings

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6.5

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6.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 36 Ratings

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Best Kept Secret

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Movie Details & Credits

Argot Pictures | Release Date: September 6, 2013 | Not Rated

Summary: JFK High School, located in the midst of a run-down area in Newark, New Jersey, is a public school for all types of students with special education needs, ranging from those on the autism spectrum to those with multiple disabilities. Janet Mino has taught her class of young men with autism for four years. When they all graduate in theJFK High School, located in the midst of a run-down area in Newark, New Jersey, is a public school for all types of students with special education needs, ranging from those on the autism spectrum to those with multiple disabilities. Janet Mino has taught her class of young men with autism for four years. When they all graduate in the spring of 2012, they will leave the security of the public school system forever. Best Kept Secret follows Ms. Mino and her students over the year and a half before graduation. The clock is ticking to find them a place in the adult world â… Expand

Director: Samantha Buck

Genre(s): Drama, Documentary

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 85 min

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Metascore

100

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Critic Reviews

100

Annlee Ellingson

Sep 5, 2013

This is no sappy portrait of a saint: Mino is tenacious, critical and defensive, and in one memorable scene, a colleague tries to get her to face reality about what the real world holds for their students after graduation. Read full review

100

Miriam Bale

Sep 5, 2013

Best Kept Secret is an exemplary documentary: 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. Read full review

100

Ernest Hardy

Sep 10, 2013

If Secret can leave the viewer despairing, it's also hugely inspiring, thanks to Mino. She's one of the cinematic heroines of the year. Read full review

100

Frank Scheck

Sep 11, 2013

At once heartbreaking and uplifting. Read full review

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User Reviews

monabu50

Sep 26, 2013

forever. Best Kept Secret follows Ms. Mino and her students over the year and a half before graduation. The clock is ticking to find them a place in the adult world a job or rare placement in a recreational center so they do not end up where their predecessors have, sitting at home,forever. Best Kept Secret follows Ms. Mino and her students over the year and a half before graduation. The clock is ticking to find them a place in the adult world a job or rare placement in a recreational center so they do not end up where their predecessors have, sitting at home, institutionalized, or on the streets.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

chrisplease662

Jan 23, 2023

Amazing! Truly I feel I have no words to express what a impact this had on me.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

jz_bubbles

Mar 14, 2015

This film provided a unique perspective into the autistic community. These are kids from a low-income neighborhood with little to no outside resources available to them. I say they are kids but in fact they are 21 year old adults about to age out of the public school system. It's clear fromThis film provided a unique perspective into the autistic community. These are kids from a low-income neighborhood with little to no outside resources available to them. I say they are kids but in fact they are 21 year old adults about to age out of the public school system. It's clear from the start that they are not ready to participate in the outside world and their options are bleak.

The film doesn't have a narrator and, due to the linguistic limitations of the subjects, none of the kids can be interviewed directly. But the film focuses on Janet Mino, who is their very passionate teacher. By the end of the film I found myself seeing the students through her eyes as individual people with their own dreams and motivations even though they can't articulate them.

The one weakness I found was that there were a few meetings (particularly between Ms. Mino and the school principal) that were obviously staged to provide background to the audience. This damaged the film's credibility in my eyes but Ms. Mino's passion was obviously not staged.

The film doesn't become too preachy and tell people what needs to be done. It simply provides us with a glimpse into the troubles of a few underprivileged students.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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