51 Birch Street

Directed by: Doug Block

RS: 3.5of 4 Stars

2006 Truly Indie Documentary

This spellbinding detective story isn't officially a documentary, since director Doug Block can't be objective about the fifty-four-year marriage of his parents, who lived in Port Washington, New York, until his mom, Mina, died in 2002 and his dad, Mike, married his secretary. Through haunting home movies, Mina's diaries and interviews with Mike, a raw, riveting portrait emerges of what a child sees in his parents' relationship and what lies beneath.