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- Hi, welcome
to Independent Lens.
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I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS
Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
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Tonight, we bring you a film
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that is a microcosm
of the polarization
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we are dealing with in America
right now.
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The film shows just how deep
our political divides run
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nationally, locally, and in some
cases, even in our homes.
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Tonight's film, My Omaha, tells
the story of a father and son
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that are deeply divided
in their beliefs
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as they try to reconcile
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when the father becomes
terminally ill.
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My Omaha's main character
is Nick Beaulieu,
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who grew up in Omaha, sharing
a warm father-son bond
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with his dad Randy.
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Nick looked up Randy,
but when he went off to college,
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he started questioning
his beliefs
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after being exposed
to other cultures
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and people from different walks
of life.
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Tensions between father and son
worsened starting in 2016,
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when Randy became
full-blown MAGA.
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That's when journalism student
Nick turned his camera on
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and hit the streets
of his hometown of Omaha,
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a city not without a
controversial past
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when it comes to race relations.
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Having grown up
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in the predominantly white
suburbs of Omaha,
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Nick makes a connection
with Leo Louis,
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a charismatic
Black local community activist
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and prominent figure in Omaha's
racial justice coalition.
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Louis becomes Nick's conduit to
a world he did not know existed.
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Nick follows the young activist
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and receives
a real-world education
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much different than the one
he received in college,
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seeing firsthand what the
residents of North Omaha face:
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socioeconomic struggles,
a higher rate of unemployment,
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a much lower rate
of home ownership,
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and a community that has one
of the highest rates
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of infant mortality
in the country.
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In contrast to Nick's experience
with Louis,
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we see moments with his
devout Christian,
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conservative ailing father,
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who suffers
from stage four cancer.
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It's the scenes
between father and son
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that take viewers to a much more
intimate place,
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thanks to endearing home movies
Randy shot of the two
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when Nick was younger.
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Beaulieu uses the sweet,
intimate footage
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intercut with he and his father
trying to find common ground
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in an effort to close their
emotional gap
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before Randy runs out of time.
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What motivated Beaulieu
to make the film
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was that he couldn't fathom
how people in Omaha
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view it as such
a strong Midwestern city
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while choosing to ignore
problems and struggles
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facing a huge segment
of the population.
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In a recent interview,
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the young, ambitious storyteller
revealed
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that he wants to make
narrative films,
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but first, he would love another
chance to make a documentary,
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so he can rectify the many
mistakes he says he made
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during My Omaha.
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Despite Nick's perceived
mistakes he made
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in this gripping,
heartfelt film,
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it still pulled a nomination
for the Grand Jury Prize
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at the Slamdance Film Festival.
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This film shows us life
isn't all black and white,
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and how we choose
to educate ourselves
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determines how we see the world
and the people we share it with.
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My Omaha starts now
on PBS Wisconsin,
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your home for independent film.