Chris and Cody

The PBS series Frontline has been showing a beautiful documentary this week. "Country Boys" by David Sutherland follows the lives of Chris Johnson and Cody Perkins, two teen boys growing up in eastern Kentucky. Cody and Chris work to overcome problems with poverty, family and schools while reaching for a slice of the American dream. This film shows us a lot about what it means to come of age; I found it completely engrossing. What impresses me the most from a reporting standpoint is how Sutherland developed his sources -- Cody and Chris, their families, their friends, their teachers -- in order to paint such a subtle yet vivid portrait of their lives.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/countryboys/
Update: when I last tried this link Thursday morning, the PBS server didn't seem to be working, so check back again if the link doesn't work the first time. And I'll check later to make sure they get it up and running again.