X
  • 2006
  • Unrated
  • Truly Indie
  • 1 h 30 m
  • 2006
  • Unrated
  • Truly Indie
  • 1 h 30 m
51 Birch Street

Summary Both unexpectedly funny and heartbreaking, 51 Birch Street is the first-person account of Block’s unpredictable journey through a whirlwind of dramatic life-changing events: the death of his mother, the uncovering of decades of family secrets, and the ensuing reconciliation with his father. What begins as his own intimate, autobiographic...

Directed By: Doug Block

Written By: Amy Seplin, Doug Block

  • 2006
  • Unrated
  • Truly Indie
  • 1 h 30 m
  • 2006
  • Unrated
  • Truly Indie
  • 1 h 30 m

51 Birch Street

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 16 Critic Reviews
77
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary Both unexpectedly funny and heartbreaking, 51 Birch Street is the first-person account of Block’s unpredictable journey through a whirlwind of dramatic life-changing events: the death of his mother, the uncovering of decades of family secrets, and the ensuing reconciliation with his father. What begins as his own intimate, autobiographic...

Directed By: Doug Block

Written By: Amy Seplin, Doug Block

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 16 Critic Reviews
77
94% Positive
15 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 16 Critic Reviews
77
94% Positive
15 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
51 Birch Street, like the best of the recent wave of personal documentaries, is both a compelling story and an eye-opening bit of social history.
By Sean Axmaker FULL REVIEW
88
Through haunting home movies, Mina's diaries and interviews with Mike, a raw, riveting portrait emerges of what a child sees in his parents' relationship and what lies beneath.
By Peter Travers FULL REVIEW
80
What makes 51 Birch Street a moving revelation rather than a therapeutic exercise is Block's commitment to understanding his parents, Mike and Mina, on their own terms, regardless of what it does to his image of them.
FULL REVIEW
80
A tonal triumph of true-life storytelling told with equal measures of tension and redemption.
By Eddie Cockrell FULL REVIEW
75
The film has a compelling way about it. All five of the immediate Block family members emerge in full and affecting portraits.
By Michael Phillips FULL REVIEW
70
This isn't always adept as storytelling, and Block's coming to terms with his own denseness occasionally tries one's patience, but he manages to make the overall process of his reeducation fascinating and compelling.
By Jonathan Rosenbaum FULL REVIEW
42
The joys of watching a man carry out his own therapy onscreen are fairly limited.
By Tasha Robinson FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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Details

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Production Company Copacetic Pictures, HBO/Cinemax Documentary, ZDF Enterprises, Priddy Brothers Entertainment
Release Date Oct 18, 2006
Duration 1 h 30 m
Rating Unrated
Genres
Website http://www.51birchstreet.com/
View All Details

Awards

National Board of Review, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Chlotrudis Awards
• 1 Nomination
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards
• 1 Nomination

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