The Last Repair Shop

Music ought to be a great liberator. Success at it comes down to talent, creativity and hard work – but of course, that only applies if you can afford an instrument to begin with. Kris Bowers and Ben Proudfoot’s Oscar-shortlisted short documentary tells the story of four people who, for one reason or another, have dedicated their lives to repairing and reconditioning old, broken instruments so that young people have access to them and to the life-changing possibilities they represent.

All of these people, one way or another, have found salvation through music. One talks about growing up gay in the 1970s when he seemed to face a choice between facing violence or being alone, and recalls how his parents being musicians gave him access to something that kept him going in the darkest times. For another, musical skills provided a route out of poverty after she relocated to the US from Mexico with her two small children. A third found a violin in a jumble sale as a child, begged his mother for money to buy it, and soon found that his whole life revolved around music, to the point where he played support for Elvis Presley. As for the fourth, he has a remarkable story about growing up with music in Azerbaijan, being forced to flee the country due to ethnic violence, and having a surprise encounter in the US with an inspirational figure who helped him rediscover his skills.

The interviews are straight to camera but are supported by footage of the people and places which shaped these journeys. As the repair workers talk, we also observe parts of the repair process itself: brass being cleaned, wood being planed, strings being bound into place and tuned. Polished metal reflects a warm glow in a dusty workshop. Skilled hands patiently practice their craft.

One way or another, life has been hard for everyone here, but there is no sense of despair. A girl in her early teens, pink beads in her dreads, smiles broadly, holding her violin. There is illness in her family and it gets her down, but she loves this instrument, provided to her by the Los Angeles School District. It’s a lifeline, a means through which she can imagine a brighter future.

Lovingly crafted like the instruments themselves, this modest little documentary tells extraordinary tales, and it might just have the power to do big things.