‘The Public’ Trailer: Emilio Estevez Finds Himself Back At A Library In New Film Premiering At TIFF

Public libraries serve across society, irrespective of age, race, sex, color, creed, and religion. They are self-education centers that provide resources and services in a variety of media to meet the needs of individuals and groups for information and personal development. Emilio Estevez is no stranger to the library. Thirty-three years ago, he portrayed one of five teens sentenced to Saturday detention in a school library in the 1985 teen classic “The Breakfast Club.” Decades later, he’s back in the library, not because he received another detention, but because he works at the library in “The Public.”

Written, starring, and directed by Estevez, “The Public” is a story of empathy versus authority, and that is evident in the trailer. The trailer opens painting the picture of any old day. Stuart (Estevez) and Myra (Jena Malone) are going about their business, taking care of things in the library. However, as soon as Angela (Taylor Shilling) says “it must be really nice to have a job where you can sit around and read all day,” you know the calm is about to turn to a storm.

As closing time comes, Jackson (Michael K. Williams) sparks an act of civil disobedience by refusing to leave — first defying the library staff, then a local political operative (Christian Slater), and then the police led by Detective Ramstead (Alec Baldwin), stating “the public library has now been sanctioned as an official emergency shelter.”

“The Public” will be shown at TIFF and will premiere on September 9.

Here is the official synopsis:

In “The Public,” an unusually bitter Arctic blast has made its way to downtown Cincinnati and the front doors of the public library where the action of the film takes place. The story revolves around the library patrons, many of whom are homeless, mentally ill and marginalized, as well as an exhausted and overwhelmed staff of librarians who often act as “de-facto social workers” and care for those regular patrons.   At odds with library officials over how to handle the extreme weather event, the patrons turn the building into a homeless shelter for the night by staging an “Occupy” sit in.  What begins as an act of civil disobedience becomes a stand-off with police and a rush-to-judgment media constantly speculating about what’s really happening inside the building.  The story tackles some of our nation’s most challenging issues, including homelessness and mental illness, and sets the dramedy inside one of the last bastions of democracy-in-action: your public library.