THE PLOT THUS FAR
A modern-day Grapes of Wrath, award-winning documentary THE OVERNIGHTERS is an intimate portrait of job-seekers desperately chasing the broken American Dream to the tiny oil boom town of Williston, North Dakota. With the town lacking the infrastructure to house the overflow of migrants, a local pastor starts the controversial overnighters program, allowing down-and-out workers a place to sleep at the church. His well-meaning project immediately runs into resistance with his community, forcing the clergyman to make a decision which leads to profound consequences that he never imagined.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“The Overnighters” is a film about the dark side of the Shale Boom in North Dakota. Thousands of blue collar workers are flooding into the area from all over the country to find well paying jobs for people who are down on their luck. A local pastor puts together an effort to give these workers a shot at finding dignity in their new hometown. Many of the locals blame The Overnighters for the rise in crime and other activities in town. But, there’s nothing to prove that they are doing it.
The Ghost of Tom Joad continues to haunt this country and documentaries like this upset me on a primal level. Whether it’s the Dust Bowl or the failed policies of the Bush administration, times grow the roughest on the working class that want nothing more than the dignity of a life well lived. Pastor Reinke should be commended for his efforts to save the downtrodden workers that seek to find a new home. This is America, people.
The Blu-Ray comes with a Digital HD copy, commentary, deleted scenes, follow-up interviews and a trailer as the special features. The A/V Quality is amazingly sharp. The DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track really pops for a documentary. The 1080p transfer does what it can and it does it well. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: 02/03/2015