RUST Reviews
"A must see film!
RUST is the third film in Marylou & Jerome Bongiorno's acclaimed documentary trilogy
looking at the evolution of Newark marked by the rebellion/revolution of 1967.
This film highlights the challenges facing Rust Belt Cities, like Newark,
which lost their 19th century industrial foundations in the years after World War II.
Due to loss of jobs and white flight, Newark became a poorer and less populated city.
More than fifty years later, the city's poverty rate is still high, hovering around 30%.
Offering direction for Newark's recovery, RUST points to the need for jobs, focused education, support for families, and the reduction of racism.
The Bongiornos' 3Rs trilogy of films REVOLUTION '67, THE RULE and RUST constitutes a complete course on U.S. inner cities.”
Leslie Wilson, PhD
Historian
Montclair State University
"RUST is an excellent, powerful, and compelling documentary which is a very important historical scholarly contribution to the field.
This film should be seen by a large and diverse audience to help us better understand
and bring about the societal and institutional changes needed to address poverty in America today.”
Robert C. Like, MD, MS
Emeritus Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
"Understanding urban poverty demands a deep dive into the nation’s past.
Through the lens of Newark, RUST offers a gripping and urgent lesson in American underdevelopment.
The documentary illuminates how the structure of slavery, and the ideas that sustained it, crept into industrial workplaces
and urban planning after abolition, shaping how Black and Brown residents have come to see their mobility and prospects.”
Genese Sodikoff, PhD
Cultural Anthropologist
Rutgers University-Newark
“RUST explains the deeper issues that face our country and offers real possible solutions to bring more equity into our society.
The presentation was well-balanced and very accessible to anyone who is willing to have old understandings of why things are the way they are, corrected.”
The Rev. Audrey Hasselbrook
The Episcopal Church of St. James
Prison Ministry
“I viewed your production of RUST on PBS and was profoundly impressed at your depth of research that connected the dots to the current day circumstances of urban poverty.
RUST is a great reference item for our family discussion on racism's social, economic, political and physiological intersectional implications.”
Douglass Anderson
PBS viewer
"My synagogue community has not stopped raving about our recent screening of RUST, and for good reason.
The film remarkably balances the systemic issues facing this country and the city of Newark with personal narrative and intimate interviews.
It offers an unparalleled look into the complex lives of those who are the lifeblood of this community.
We were lucky enough to have Marylou & Jerome Bongiorno join us for a discussion and an inside look into the film’s creation.
The conversation was delightful and stimulating, but more than that, it moved us to action, to inner examination,
and toward a renewed drive to tackle the systems that perpetuate inequality of every kind.
We look forward to benefiting from their continued contributions in the world of film and in the spirit of pursuing justice."
Rabbi Max Edwards
Temple B'nai Abraham
Livingston, NJ
“RUST is a phenomenal and timely film.
The Bongiornos have once again dared us to face the truth and more importantly do something about it!”
Ivan Lamourt, PsyD
Assistant Headmaster
St. Benedict’s Prep School
"RUST is a timely film which uses expert testimony to address the economic and social roots of deindustrialization and systemic racism.
The Bongiornos' proposals are straightforward and digestible, and sparked meaningful conversations within our community."
Sandy Greenberg
Jesuit Volunteer Corps member
"RUST is an important film for everyone, especially New Jerseyans, to see and discuss.
Our Unitarian Universalist community in Somerville is interconnected with Newark;
RUST helped us understand our shared history so we can confront injustice together and continue working for a better future for all."
UUCSH Social Action Committee
“RUST clearly documents the roots of slavery and focuses on the enduring structures of racism and the many interlocking factors that contribute to it.”
Regina Bechtle, SC
Sisters of Charity of New York
“RUST is an excellent compilation! It overlays the evolving economic structures with the racial beliefs and structures that oppress."
Claire E. Regan, SC
Sisters of Charity of New York
"RUST should be available to every level of community work and government. So well done!"
Marinell Eva
PBS viewer
"We watched an amazing movie called RUST....poverty is chronic trauma."
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