Parents' Guide to Dark City: Beneath the Beat

This is a wonderful documentary on a unique club music scene. Dark City: Beneath the Beat takes us inside Baltimore's thriving and too-often overlooked dance and club music world, and how those who have shaped and participated in it are immensely talented and fiercely devoted to their hometown. It's a brief documentary that manages to reveal so much about its recent history, what it has meant and means to those who have taken part in it, and the ambitions many have who want to see these performers and this culture find a wider audience, beyond the city limits of Baltimore. It's inspired and inspiring, creative and thoughtful, and offers a comprehensive view of what Baltimoreans of color have and continue to contend with, and how art offers a positive antidote in the midst of difficult times.

One of the bigger challenges for documentaries centered on a local community is to find a way to make the documentary something of interest for those who know very little about the community or city. Dark City: Beneath the Beat doesn't have that problem. Yes, there is very much a local focus on a specific region and culture, and that helps to make this an enjoyable viewing for those who want to learn about how things are in places that are new and unfamiliar to the viewer, but there's a broader dynamic at work throughout. The larger message shows the power of art and creative expression to liberate individuals and communities from difficulties from within to provide a voice for those to express their experiences. This documentary strikes a perfect balance between the local and global, and is edifying, provocative, and engaging from beginning to end.