This is a documentary film about librarians and libraries. How do you separate them? Simple, you don't.
The subject is huge and I think Ann Seidl did a wonderful job compacting the first and only documentary about librarians/libraries, (that I know of), into a 96 minute love story of what they do, where they do it, who defends them, who subscribes to them, who they impact and the disastrous image that media has imprinted on our minds about them, namely Hollywood. Ann makes it clear that Hollywood got it wrong. Librarians are pretty much just like you and I, funky, happening, real, innovative and smart.
In the film, there is a woman in red, who claims that libraries represent freedom, amongst a few other interesting remarks, this is one of the many important messages this film tries to relay. There are a few images of libraries being destroyed and books burning. I sensed an underlying theme about information control and how we should be wary of the players.
The film's central theme was easy to follow, even for me, a non-librarian, from the written word to books to libraries to librarians to how incredibly misinformed we are about these people who do their jobs so well that they almost become invisible to us. We are treated to interviews along the way and exposed to what the media has misrepresented about librarians and libraries. We also learn just how important they are to us when we realize we may lose them. To put it bluntly, this film was long overdue, (excuse the pun).
I also saw this film at a screening for librarians and it got a standing ovation. It is not the only standing ovation I have heard of and I think, it will not be the last. However, reviews and reviewers are fickle, don't take anyone's word for it or even mine, see it and decide for yourself!