ReelBob: ‘Monrovia, Indiana’ ★★★½

By Bob Bloom

“Monrovia, Indiana,” is a cinematic postcard — a paean to small-town America — lovingly created by master documentarian Frederick Wiseman.

Wiseman has been making documentaries since 1967. He prefers to be mostly an observer, with no narration nor interactions with people.

Watching “Monrovia, Indiana” is like driving or walking around the town and the surrounding area, stopping at various points to sit in and listen to the residents and observe their daily lives.

Wiseman visits a couple of churches for a wedding and a funeral, the local high school for a history lesson about the town’s basketball legacy, local government meetings, various farms and agricultural businesses, a bar, a restaurant, a grocery store, a gun shop, a barber shop, hair salon and the annual town festival.

Throughout, the camera is a witness, reporting on the moments — large and small — that take place in communities like Monrovia all across the nation.

Nothing exciting happens in Monrovia nor the movie.

The biggest conflict that arises is a debate among local officials about approving a housing development. Some see it as progress and a way to grow the town and its tax base; others see it as a threat to a way of life that Monrovia has enjoyed for decades.

The discussion is respectful; no shouting, name calling or shaking of fists.

Community service, duty, friendship, generosity and spiritual life are the bedrock of the thousands of small towns that dot the “fly-over” landscape between the east and west coasts.

These are values often ridiculed by “sophisticates” from metropolitan areas, who oftentimes are condescending about heartland beliefs and consider these people quaint.

Wiseman shows that these people are the backbone of the nation — the ones who raise the crops, beef and pork that we put on our tables without ever giving a thought to where they came from.

Monrovia and the surrounding Morgan County can be considered “Trump country.” Yes, the people are pro-gun, God-fearing and patriotic. The discussions that Wiseman shares with us are not about politics. Rather, they are about who’s sick, who recently died, memories of first cars and the day-to-day minutiae that is life.

The movie, at 143 minutes, unwinds at a leisurely pace. It’s not dull, just simply relaxed. Wiseman wants to allow time for you to get to see, hear and — hopefully — understand and appreciate the people of Monrovia, and perhaps, recognize that its residents have the same hopes, dreams and challenges as the rest of us.

“Monrovia, Indiana,” is a pleasant excursion. It’s nonjudgmental, nonpartisan filmmaking that introduces you to a community welded together by a common goal of neighborliness.

I am a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.

MONROVIA, INDIANA
3½ stars out of 4
Not rated