College’s barriers made starkly clear
Recent scandals exposing celebrities who paid their children’s way into prestigious universities serve as a timely point of departure for Adam and Jaye Fenderson’s conventionally informative documentary “Unlikely.”
Narrated by Jaye Fenderson, a former admissions officer at Columbia University, the film dissects how higher education obstructs equal opportunity by obscenely favoring wealthy applicants with legacy links to the school or the means to ensure future donations.
“We don’t go to high-end schools,” responds a resigned Juan, the child of Mexican immigrants from a low-income community in Los Angeles, when asked about college prospects for those like him who lack the resources to succeed at Ivy League institutions.
There’s no riveting style, invigorating technique or atypical narrative devices on display; standard interviews and simple animated clips suffice as the piece follows a handful of people of color from across the U.S. who’ve failed to complete their degrees since the system refuses to factor in the additional socioeconomic hurdles on their plate. Hard data coupled with humaninterest stories unmask the nationwide rigged operation.
The codirectors disseminate facts clearly in an undertaking that’s scholarly adept yet disappoints artistically. More digestible than a thick academic study, “Unlikely” was obviously designed as an issue-driven program without cinematic aspirations. That’s likely for the best.
“Unlikely.” Not rated. Running time: 1 hour, 21 minutes Playing: Vintage Los Feliz 3.