6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Life doesn't meet anyone halfway, July 24, 2007
This review is from: Omar & Pete (DVD)
Omar and Pete is a poignant look at these two longtime friends that have spent a considerable portion of their lives in and out of the prison system. Before examining the world outside, as Omar is about to be released from yet another stint in the correctional system, he reveals his thoughts and fears regarding his past and his uncertain future of freedom once again.
Upon re-entering society, this story begins by following Leon `Omar' Mason in his sometimes difficult and painful journey to start a new life. Despite the best of intentions and making decent strides to improve himself, Omar eventually suffers from multiple relapses due to a drug addiction, he deals with the agony of a death in the family, and his battle with other personal problems threaten to consume him altogether.
Pete Duncan, a resident manager at a transition house where Omar is placed, is a recovering drug addict who has been out of prison for 10 months now and he helps others to repair their broken lives. Time is spent here looking at Pete and his rewarding efforts and it is evident that he has found the correct mindset to keep himself productive and healthy in society.
I'd like to say that the ending to Omar's story ended up being a happy one but I can't do that. After failed attempts at detox programs and counseling plus new felony offenses, Omar was once again incarcerated and he faces a long prison sentence. Pete, on the other hand, is still going strong these days. He is drug free and out of the transition house and was subsequently promoted from a drug counselor to a residential supervisor.
`Omar & Pete' is a well produced documentary in my opinion and emotional in its content. There aren't any easy answers or quick fixes regarding transition from prison back to mainstream society but this story looks at the struggle from several distinct perspectives and it does an admirable job in that regard.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I stagnated in prison a long time, and I have wasted most of my life. - Gary Gilmore, January 24, 2011
This review is from: Omar & Pete (DVD)
The film Omar and Pete focuses on two recidivists who must face up to many of the years that they wasted in prison. As was true of Gary Gilmore, the men find that living a good life on the outside is easier in theory than in practice.
The film opens inside the Maryland prison where Omar is serving the last few days of a long sentence. Omar discusses his plans for parole and has good intentions regarding the "new life" that he plans to lead once released. The film explains that Omar and Pete are friends from prison and show both living in Baltimore's slums while on parole. The viewer sees the paroled Omar struggle to make his way under the guidance of Pete, who has been out of prison for a while.
The film does a good job of allowing both men to explain themselves. They are likeable people and the viewer wants each to succeed in escaping the street life. Two other strong aspects of the film are the downbeat, jazz soundtrack and the excellent cinematography - there are some great shots of Baltimore's inner city and of Maryland's prisons.
In spite of the film's strengths, it is only a middling success. The pacing is quite slow and much of the "action" in the two men's live is explained, but not seen by the viewer. The film comes close to bogging down in spite of its short length (about 70 minutes). Another drawback is that Pete's story takes a backseat to Omar's story; the material on Pete feels as though the filmmakers "tacked it on" to the movie when they realized that they might not get the story that they wanted from Omar.
In summary, Omar and Pete is a decent film, but it is not great.
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