Documentary filmmaker Doug Block always thought his parents' 54-year marriage was a good one. But when his mother dies unexpectedly and his father swiftly remarries his former secretary, he discovers a family history far more complex and troubled than he ever imagined.
51 Birch Street is a riveting personal documentary that explores a universal human question -- how much about your parents do you really want to know?
After receiving great critical and audience acclaim at over two dozen leading international film festivals, 51 Birch Street had a 9-month U.S. theatrical release beginning October, 2006. It won numerous accolades, including being named one of the Top Ten Films of the Year by the New York Times and Ebert & Roeper, and One of the Year's Outstanding Documentaries by the National Board of Review.
"One of the most fascinating and moving documentaries I've seen all year... a work of art"
- A.O. Scott, NEW YORK TIMES"51 Birch Street is a triumph of true-life storytelling"
- Eddie Cockrell, VARIETY
"A history of the American family worthy of Updike or Roth."
- David Hudson, GREENCINE DAILY
"51 Birch Street is the latest autobiographical doc sensation"
- TORONTO STAR
"Extraordinary... spellbinding... an utterly absorbing mystery"
- Rene Rodriguez, MIAMI HERALD
"51 Birch Street is a beautiful, resonant piece of work about how little we know about our parents' lives, about marriage and fidelity, loss and reconciliation."
- Anthony Kaufman, INDIEWIRE
