Parents' Guide to Liberty Heights

This coming-of-age drama manages to explore the racial politics of 1950s America, while maintaining a lightness that keeps it accessible and a welcome addition to the genre. Liberty Heights is loosely based on writer and director Barry Levinson's own experience of growing up in Baltimore, at a time when schools became integrated, meaning kids from all different races and ethnicities could be taught together. As the teenage friendship between the Jewish Ben and the African American Sylvia blossoms, the film doesn't shy away from showing the societal tensions of the time. Sylvia's father forbids her from seeing the "White" Ben, for example. However, the film doesn't just focus on the differences, but also on the similarities of being from a minority community and how that can impact your life. It's through these similarities, but also an open-mindedness and curiosity, that brings Ben and Sylvia together. The pair bond over a shared love of Little Richard and James Brown, for example. This balance between the seriousness and the lighthearted is handled admirably by Levinson, never feeling contrived, only endearing. Add to that some impressive performances -- with a nod to Adrien Brody whose star quality as Ben's older brother, Van, illuminates the screen every time he's featured -- and you're onto a winner.