Tomorrow’s Hope * Fills You With Positivity And Gratitude And Inspires You To Tackle All Your Challenges With Tenacity
Set on the South Side of Chicago; against a layered backdrop of systemic inequality, the documentary explores a community’s unique embrace of the possibilities of early education through the eyes of its first graduates who are now approaching young adulthood. The film reunites three present-day high school seniors who started out in Educare Preschool’s first class, exploring the effects of early childhood education as they navigate their way through difficult circumstances. While today the Educare Early Education Center is going strong, the documentary shows its utterly harrowing, yet remarkable early stages as “The Beethoven Project” located within “Forgotonia” – a name the film’s Portia Kennel uses to describe what was at the time the largest housing project in the world. Exploring the contrast of promises kept against a pervasive backdrop of promises broken, Tomorrow’s Hope celebrates the resilience of the human spirit. Produced by The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation, Tomorrow’s Hope is “genuinely uplifting and inspiring in ways that even ‘feel-good’ fictional stories can’t often achieve” (Film Threat).
KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Eshaan M. comments, “A film that will fill you with positivity and gratitude and inspire you to tackle all your challenges with tenacity, Tomorrow’s Hope is a wonderful experience for viewers of all ages.” See his full review and interview with director Thomas A. Morgan, below.
Tomorrow’s Hope
By Eshaan M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 17
A film that will fill you with positivity and gratitude and inspire you to tackle all your challenges with tenacity, Tomorrow’s Hope is a wonderful experience for viewers of all ages.
Tomorrow’s Hope tells the story of three high school seniors who all started their academic journeys as the first class of the Educare Early Education Center. Educare is one of the few early education centers in the violence-ridden South Side of Chicago. The organization’s journey from “The Beethoven Project,” located in the projects, to a pile of rubble, and now to one of the most successful early education programs, preparing kids for a future of success, is documented with a clear-cut narrative structure.
Every individual interviewed for this film speaks their heart and tells their story in the raw, real manner it was meant to be told. Their stories, the light and dark moments alike, carry great weight and truly make the film what it is. The interviews in the film do not just touch your heart but also educate you about a reality many might not know: the story of “Forgotonia,” the moniker given to the Chicago projects as they underwent gentrification, and the people of the South Side. The film represents black voices well, as most, if not all, of the characters, are African-American. The individual interviews are stitched together with ample historical and live b-roll to form a concise but detailed 45-minute story. I especially love how Jacqueline, who works at Educare, and the spotlighted seniors interact in the shots together; their attachment to and warmth toward one another is palpable.
Tomorrow’s Hope promotes keeping your hopes up and persevering even against broken promises and catastrophes. Each of the subjects of the film has seen gun violence or gang violence take away those closest to them—it’s clear that it would be easy to fall into these traps. But they kept at it; all three went to college and made their families proud. As far as parental advisories go, there are mentions of death and violence.
I give Tomorrow’s Hope 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. Tomorrow’s Hope is available on VOD and digital beginning March 21, 2023.
