Television Review: Prom Night in Mississippi

By Kari Croop

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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this documentary's frank discussion of a sensitive topic -- racism -- includes some unbleeped swearing and racist language, including regular use of "N" word by both African Americans and Caucasians. Some violent acts are described, including fist fights between students, and there's a brief shot of a particularly grizzly photo of a dead man hanging from a tree. Students also talk about underage sex and drinking, but most of the teens who are prominently featured are positive role models.

Filmmaker Paul Saltzman captures history in the making in PROM NIGHT IN MISSISSIPPI, an honest yet inspirational documentary about lingering racism in the deep South and a small-town Mississippi high school's first integrated prom. The kicker, of course, is that this momentous occasion takes place in 2008 -- not the 1950s. To give graduating seniors an incentive to partipate, local celebrity Morgan Freeman presents the idea as a challenge and offers to pay all costs. In the end, it's a story about change and the pockets of resistance that try to stop it.

When it comes to content, Saltzman respects viewers' intelligence by refusing to candy coat the issue of racism, presenting candid comments from students who are all too willing to talk about it. For example, one African-American student describes a humilating incident in which the police pulled him and a Caucasian friend over, claiming they smelled marijuana. The cops made the first student drop his pants in public, while they left his friend alone. Another Caucasian student shares her father's reaction to the idea of an integrated prom: "N---ers ain't gonna be rubbin' up against my daughter."

Prom Night in Mississippi might not be as zippy as some other documentaries about high school life (including American Teen), but it's both sobering and refreshing in its honesty, making it a must-see for families with teens who are mature enough to handle the film's complex themes.