WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?: An Enchanting & Eye-Opening Must-See Documentary

There are documentaries that come around that perfectly encapsulate the subject at hand, and then there are documentaries that do just that, but inspire at the same time. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is one of these, perfectly presenting to audiences a man, whose work with children and television inspired generations – and whose story will continue to inspire the future.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is an enchanting and eye opening film showcasing the power one person can possess to affect change. Fred Rogers was a man against the world, yet a man who knew what needed to be done to utilize this latest invention of television and the inevitable effects it would have on children. He, like Steve Jobs for the personal computer or Reed Hastings for streaming services, was a visionary who saw the future of television. He saw where it was going and what it could do for the children watching it.

Without fear of retribution, he hit the ground running, bringing lessons of racism, friendship, love and even death and war to the hearts and minds of children around the world. He was unafraid to speak to them as equals, understanding that children have the ability to know and learn more than the world wants to believe.

Won’t You Be My Filmmaker

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is a beautifully constructed documentary, each element and selection appearing to be meticulously chosen and considered by director Morgan Neville. To boil down years of influence into a 94-minute documentary seems like a daunting task, but Neville makes the film appear seamless. From the moment Won’t You Be My Neighbor? begins, viewers find themselves enamored with the story as it is carefully laid out chronologically from the moment Fred Rogers discovers television until the closing moments of the film. The pace continues at a solid beat, allowing each bit to perfectly unfold, never dragging, yet also never giving viewers a moment of distraction beyond the film.

This documentary seemed to have a mission to accomplish – to show Mr. Rogers exactly as he was – a question many who knew him have been asked for years. He was exactly as you saw him on television, and this documentary proved it. Yet, what it also proved was the power of influence and the understanding of this power that he possessed. Millions of homes opened the door for him via television, allowing his messages of love and acceptance to flood their living rooms. Yet, he pushed beyond the traditional understanding of children’s broadcasting, utilizing his puppet show to address issues of racism (whites and blacks unable to be within a pool together), assassination (addressing JFK) and war – which was the focus of his show the first week it premiered!

These snippets from the show interlaced with real life footage brought a cohesive feel to Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, bringing every element Neville was looking to showcase stand out. It is a phenomenal display of craftsmanship, not just for filmmaking, but storytelling as well. There is nothing fake, nothing overly inflated – everything is exactly as it was, just like the film’s subject.

The parallels of history

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? was not just a remarkable and insightful documentary, it was also timely. In a time when America is up in arms and fearful of the safety and knowledge that our children receive, it was interesting to see the various similarities between when the show was broadcasting to present times – eerily similar. Parents fear and protest such shows as 13 Reasons Why for its depictions of teen situations, Sesame Street for cloths their guests wear and books, such as Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, are being changed all because they want to shield their children and teens from these topics.

Looking at all of this, it is interesting to look back to Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. During its run time, Mr. Rogers would address war, assassination, death and special needs to children, understanding that they would have questions and they were not oblivious to circumstances and situations around them. He understood they needed to know – while not in-depth – about war and why it occurs, why everyone is crying and upset following the assassination of JFK, and that death is inevitable, even for our family pets.

It was not just the similarities of media for children that drew a parallel, though. One of the first examples of the show Neville selected was naturally its first episode and week of airing. These episodes immediately hit the ground running, addressing the Vietnam War. In the first week on air, Mr. Rogers and his crew tackled the explanation of war and why it happens. Unafraid to speak to children as equals, but with the knowledge of how their psyché works, Mr. Rogers was able to explain what many adults would avoid. This would be a theme that would continue through real life and fiction.

Yet, it wasn’t just the explanation to the children that stood out in my mind as timely. King Friday, one of the puppets in the show that ruled the land, was a personification of the drive in war. Speaking to his militant, he spoke of the need to win, as well as the need to build a wall to keep the enemy out. There was such a resonating similarity by these words, “to build a wall”, that struck me as a viewer, and I am sure will resonate with others. This puppet from the late 1960s has just as much representation now as it did then. While Mr. Rogers Neighborhood may be a classic show born out of the dawn of television, its messages are timeless.

I do not think the parallels drawn are coincidental within the film, Fred Rogers post-humorously looking at us in present day through the eyes of the filmmaker. As Mr. Rogers stared down viewers at home who would criticize his actions of sharing a pool with a black man, so too does Neville, staring down viewers and sadly showing how the world still has much to learn, but that there are still individuals unafraid to push the world forward.

Final Thoughts: Won’t You Be My Neighbor

They say there is a different view when you see something you watched as a child for the first time as an adult. I remember watching Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood as a child, as I am sure many do. I remember the characters and the songs and enjoying the show. As an adult, I see the intentional choices that were made by this extraordinary individual to keep the power of public television alive, as well as to speak and teach children who watched it.

The saddest moment of Won’t You Be My Neighbor? was not in his unrelenting fight against a rushing tide, but it was knowing the tragic events that have come to pass since his death, finding myself glad he has not been alive to see them. Towards the end of this documentary, Mr. Rogers’ wife ponders on what her husband would have been like had he been alive to see the tumultuous world we live in and the current political divide – would he have hung up his puppets and given up? Would the world our children live in and fear have been too much for him? Or would his message of love, acceptance and knowledge continue on?

It is noteworthy to mention that at the end of the documentary, following almost immediately after this ponderous moment of “if he was still alive”, it picks up from its moment of lost hope, reinstilling the value for its viewers. While Mr. Rogers was a celebrity face for the values and bravery he exhibited, he is not the only one. There are Mr. Rogers out there, everywhere – even if you don’t see them.

You don’t need to be a fan of the show or even have watched it. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? will perfectly captivate and engage viewers, no matter their knowledge on the subject. This is the must-see documentary of the year – one that is not to be missed.

What are your thoughts on Won’t You Be My Neighbor?