Rutenbeck is one of New England’s most accomplished documentary filmmakers, and A Reckoning in Boston is a sobering example of his talent.
— Video LibrarianTornado Tastes Like Aluminum Sting
Wrongly diagnosed, discarded, Harmon dot aut went from ten dreadful years housebound writing diaries and doing extraordinary outsider art to, with heroic struggle, a flourishing life as a movie-crazy playwright under the nom de plume of Chantal Buñuel. dot aut and veteran Boston documentarian James Rutenbeck have collaborated on a short film—gripping, potent, poetic—about the astounding artistry exploding from this unique talent, as dot aut generously dramatizes their autism for us to see and try to understand.
— Gerald Peary, The Arts FuseExhilarating, palimpsest-like…This is a triumph not of outsider art but of insider art, dramatizing and validating the subjectivity of a unique, brilliant individual.
— Peter Keough, The Arts FuseAll this recognition is much deserved for the quiet, modest director-editor, Rutenbeck, far more revered in the local film community than known by the general public. He’s long been one of New England’s best documentarians, with a series of excellent, under-the-radar films set in white blue-collar communities.
— Gerald Peary, The Arts FuseA Reckoning in Boston
A superb examination of our city’s inbred racial inequities that tackles the subject on both the systemic/structural level and the deeply personal...a Boston film of a kind that’s never really been made or seen here before. In other words, an absolute must-see.
— Ty Burr, The Boston GlobeA powerful exploration of justice and the fight for truth. This gem left an indelible mark on our hearts and minds.
— Hamptons Doc FestAn extraordinary collaboration...A compelling film about hope, doubt, learning to trust, and learning community... It’s a powerful documentary, one that those who create community and those who want to participate in that creation, should watch.
— Rebecca Romani, Vanguard CultureA Reckoning is about the transformative power of a humanities education, but the film comes to be about much more: the city of Boston, its failures and injustices, its history of violence and trauma, the tide of gentrification washing across impoverished neighborhoods and the barriers of race and class that bind people in spite of their capabilities or ambitions.
— Lydialyle Gibson, Humanities, The Magazine of the National Endowment for the HumanitiesMuckraking and heartbreaking.
— The Arts FuseSteer the faithful, and everyone else, to Scenes from a Parish, a surpassingly lucid documentary. It raises more questions about the church’s place in a changing world—and touches more emotions doing so—than any big-budget studio folderol.
— Ty Burr, Boston GlobeClass of ‘27
It’s a moving documentary which aims to expand the current narratives surrounding rural poverty in America. These are not destitute regions whose residents are unable to achieve more advantageous surroundings, but areas that have been deprived of resources and are moving towards investing in the next generation.
— The AtlanticJames Rutenbeck’s unique ability to transport audiences into the forgotten world of rural America is the hallmark of his many award-winning films.
— Educational Media Reviews OnlineCompany Town avoids the obvious political clichés but causes one to wonder, ‘why do they stay?’ and at the same time to understand that this place, these activities, with all their limitations are still unique and wonderful. It is an aesthetic mystery film.
— Richard LeacockScenes from a Parish
Your eyes and ears tell you that Scenes from a Parish is a documentary. So does a source that might be more reliable: PBS. Had it not been so, you might swear that this study of an urban Catholic congregation was a novel: with its absorbing and wrenching multiple storylines knit into an eloquently disturbing civic vision, James Rutenbeck’s film has a scope that’s positively Zola-esque.
— Celia Wren, COMMONWEALScenes From a Parish unfolds in a series of incredibly diverse personal stories as both O’Brien and his fractious flock struggle to hold fast to their faith in the face of dire circumstances.
— Chicago TribuneGripping.
— Boston Magazine