Rise and Shine is an incredible movie for any Forensics competitor or coach to watch.  The strength of the film is that it remains honest.  It identifies how difficult it is to win and how much work you must put into the activity to truly find success.  

    The documentary follows the long time Texas speech coach Charlotte Brown through a typical Forensics season.  It is heavily focussed on interpretations and tends to shy away from the original individual events.  The movie also tends to glean over the world of debate.  Don’t expect to see any Policy or LD rounds.

    The movie succeeds in capturing the genuine talent that Charlotte Brown has and her ability to pass that talent on to her students.  The film is most touching when you see the interaction between Ms. Brown and her students.  You can tell she loves each and every one of them and is more concerned about their well being than winning. 

    Justin Adler and Joshua Smith do a great job of editing the film and capturing the tense moments that take place in between rounds and tournaments.  The production value of the film is surprisingly high considering that the film was made on a small budget. 

    The film is most likely to be received best by coaches, former competitors and judges who want to relate or remember what it is like to compete.  Current competitors may find the movie to be a little slow because the focus is not on the students, but as a current coach, I found the film to be fascinating and inspiring.  This is a great purchase and a film that should be seen by more people.