My wife and I are enrolling our soon-to-be five year old in a Spanish immersion program when he begins kindergarten this fall, and this movie is largely what sold us on the idea. Our school district hosted a viewing of "Speaking in Tongues" as part of an informational session on its program in particular and immersion programs in general.
Although I can see how this can sway other people because of how well the children speak, I'm still not convinced that we should learn other languages. I think that it should be the parent's responsibility.
Speaking in tongues is co-hosted by John Safran (John Safran vs. God) and Father Bob McGuire.
First off I'd like to say that even though this show had a very different approach and style to Safran's previous 2 shows, it was still very entertaining, educational and funny.I suppose Safran fans may be split over this show, as John isn't his usual pranksta self.
The "Speaking in tongues" team does an amazing job at clarifying and focusing on a topic that, initially, would prompt more tedium that fervor. Bi-lingual education might be a hot topic in the educational sphere but is not a natural shoe-in for exciting fare on the big screen.
The key to this film's accessibility is the manner the film makers allow the material speak for itself. The stories offer a satisfying connection with each of the featured individual students while they (the stories) intrinsically nudge the viewer toward consideration of the larger questions presented.
