Spanish Lake

This is the tale of the evolution of Spanish Lake, MO, from a close-knit, middle-class suburb of St. Louis to a community faced with lost business, poverty, unemployment, racial tension, and struggling schools. When a large low-income housing project in St. Louis was razed, the unincorporated suburb of Spanish Lake became home to many of its former inhabitants. Director Morton documents how the rapid change in the population challenged the town. The schools were overwhelmed and there were no social services available. Many in the white population were uncomfortable with their new neighbors and fled, while poverty rates soared. Morton, a former resident himself, skillfully weaves interviews with townsfolk and former residents with vintage news and home movie footage. He seeks out a wide array of perspectives and manages to amass honest interviews that look at the chain of events from various angles. Particularly telling is film from a reunion of "Lakers" that exposes unvarnished views and lingering racial resentment. Government officials and urban housing experts inject statistics and context.