The West Bend Current

Movies often act as a form of escapism, but watching “The Librarians” at the Milwaukee Film Festival felt more like looking through a giant window to West Bend.

Alas, it has been barely more than a year since the West Bend High Schools became a hotbed for controversy surrounding the perceived value of literary materials in the English curriculum. “The Librarians” explores the greater movement of book banning that has torn across the country and inspired the controversies right here in West Bend.

Taken from someone who has done it many times before, it can be hard to publicly oppose book banning in a professional and effective manner because many of the arguments one must make are comparatively rudimentary. Many documentaries talk themselves into circles and fail to make a splash in the public eye, let alone enlighten people in the far reaches of the country. “The Librarians” thankfully manages to sidestep these issues. The documentary always feels like it is going somewhere, and gets to the point without infantilizing the audience in any manner. “The Librarians” focuses on the perspective and experiences of those on the front lines of this issue: the school librarians who have lost their time or even their careers keeping art accessible to students.

The film also pulls back the curtain on many of the organizations and individuals who have lobbied for book removal. “The Librarians” does not villainize these people; it tastefully exposes the nature of their operations by analyzing their means of procuring funding, gaining attention and organizing gatherings. The film still certainly takes a stance, yet the professionalism on display regarding the presentation of information lends it a greater ethos. Factual information is accompanied by a surprisingly compelling score and powerful visuals. Archival footage and interviews keep a sense of rhythm in “The Librarians,” keeping its style unique enough to stand out compared to other documentaries. 

It is important for this film in particular to be so strongly executed, because it is also deeply relevant. Movements such as book banning are merely indicators of the cultural shifts in a society’s values. A film that examines not just the process of book banning, but also the way it was so widely adopted forces its audience to stop and reflect on the decisions they make and the mindsets they embody.

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Down two theaters and about 30 movies, viewers may assume that the 2025 Milwaukee Film Festival would be weaker this year, and they would be wrong. This year I saw seven films, each ripe for discussion regarding a different element of filmmaking. To analyze each film’s strength I will offer seven separate analyses.

(Image courtesy of Milwaukee Film.)