"Won't You Be My Neighbor?"

In typical Monday morning quarterbacking, a good number of folks felt that this documentary should have won this year's Oscar over "Free Solo".  Having not seen any of the other nominees I can't say which documentary film should have won, but I do know that this film was very, very good.  Beyond telling you about the subject, Fred Rogers, and revealing several things I didn't know, there was something to be said for the style of the project, which tried to echo Fred Rogers' personality and beliefs.  In that sense it was a quiet film, one which was gentle and took time.  In addition to the actual footage, some of it behind the scenes, it relied heavily on the comments of people who had worked on "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" for decades.  It says something that these people not only worked on the show for many years but still had good things to say.  When Fred Rogers talks about the importance of just being still, the camera stays on him and the filmmakers allow the audience, too, to take a moment to just reflect.  Much like the famed children's series, this documentary isn't too splashy and one viewer who watched it with me fell asleep.  Unfortunate as there is a larger issue here -- an America where all of the values Fred Rogers championed have fallen apart.  At one point, where there is an exploration of the rumor about his sexuality, it becomes clear that the modern world simply doesn't seem to have room for a decent guy like this.  And that is kind of tragic.