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I thought “Oh no, not another preachy doc
about public education,” and you can see my problems with these sort of
films mainly because, well, it’s a serious problem with no resolve. It’s
almost like being told every minute you just had your leg removed. You
can keep talking about it, but the problem is still there, regardless.
However, I was wrong. “The Votive Pit” is about the pure hell that is
the public education system, but it’s more a situation dramedy and less
a documentary. With a somewhat grim premise, we follow five teachers, a
week before school lets out for the summer, and their utter anger toward
their jobs. McShane has a definite grasp on what a pure shit hole it is
to be a teacher. Its good intentions paved with under appreciation, and
McShane paints the futile experience of education with broad strokes of
truth.
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“The Votive Pit” is a grim dark comedy, with
almost endless dialogue about the dead end that is the
teaching profession. “The Votive Pit” worked because my best
friend was almost a teacher but moved on thanks to its
antiquated guidelines, and living in a city where public
education is a surefire promise of failure, you tend to
understand where the teachers are coming from. Teaching is
one of the most un-appreciated jobs next to being a
firefighter and officer. McShane gives a depressing and
pretty comedic look at the doldrums of the profession. |
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He features many people utterly dedicated to
their work yet never compensated or respected. There are no
exaggerations or fallacies with his material, because “The Votive Pit”
chronicles individuals who could very well be teachers. McShane dresses
the crowd in garb we’ve seen on many people teaching, while exposing
some of the more absurd guidelines for teachers to approach possible
attacks from students, and the sheer complacency of students and the
education system. Shamrock McShane is great as the bald man, a teacher who is
depriving himself of sleep and food, and begins to witness the horrors
of his profession as the season comes to a close. “The Votive Pit”
definitely has relevance in a society where teachers are paid less than
fast food workers.
Sadly, Mike's film suffers from
different caveats that keep it from really taking off as an intense dramedy. For instance, the acting tends to be very stilted on a few of
the actors, with their dialogue seeming to be forced out and syllables
emphasized to the point of confusion. While, the dialogue is
interesting, the actors never sell their resonance, and Shamrock’s
message would have come off better with stronger performances.
Meanwhile, the editing is often very rigid focusing long on a character
that isn’t muttering dialogue, while someone off-screen speaks and hones
in on them. With a better sense of tight editing, “The Votive Pit” would
have excelled with its tight pace.
Mike McShane's film suffers from sub-par editing, and less than stellar
performances, but that's undercut by a strong message about the public
education system and its under-appreciation for the noble profession of
teaching.
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