“At its heart, this film is about the power of community,” said A.B. Zax in Sheffield’s Showroom Cinema, prior to his documentary’s premiere screening in the UK. Warm, comforting, and heartfelt, “Hello, Bookstore” follows a quaint bookshop in Lennox, Massachusetts, and its infectiously charming owner of over 50 years, Matthew Tennenbaum. Due to the pandemic, the bookstore was at risk of closing but was saved by generous GoFundMe donations that ultimately kept the store afloat by a community that, as Zax suggests, makes this film so endearing, whilst also highlighting the plight of independent bookstores across the US and internationally.
The film itself is a melting pot of earthy colours and string music, evoking a sense of nostalgia at the store that the audience can feel despite never visiting. Long, stationary shots at differing angles create a point of view of being in the store, almost as if the audience is a book on the shelf. The audience is treated to snippets of conversations that began decades ago, continued by Tennenbaum’s gentle demeanour and his unwavering ability to capture a customer with a web of interwoven anecdotes, recommendations, and the occasional bit of literary humour. The film never leaves the location of The Bookstore, creating a sanctuary of familiarity and homeliness that invites the audience to become part of the community that surrounds it.
“I wanted to celebrate this kind of place because it’s so important to us,” Zax commented about his decision to film around the bookstore. “In the States, it’s so fractured, people are divided, but these places bring us together no matter what.”
Throughout the documentary, Zax paints a portrait of the bookstore that is honest and raw. Zax does not shy away from revealing the adversity that the store faced during COVID-19; instead, bringing the real-life story of one man’s plight into the spotlight, telling a narrative about adoration, hope, and community. The film itself is a love letter not only to booksellers like Tennenbaum but to the communities around them that allow them to flourish. Tennenbaum’s honest monologues are a gentle reminder that this man’s life is being documented in real-time, with no room for retakes. His sincerity is truthful, and his passion reminds viewers why small businesses like his deserve our custom.
At the end of the screening, Zax and Tennenbaum opened a Q&A to the audience and were met with streams of commendations and applause. Tennenbaum is exactly as he is on screen, with a contagious smile and a twinkle in his eye that is fuelled by his passion for what he does. Talking about the impact of the documentary and the fundraising, Tannenbaum said that he has been able to renovate the store for the first time since he bought it almost fifty years ago and that the encouragement has been unwavering: “The GoFundMe and community support has been going back and forth. The people support me, and I support them, and we just keep going onward.”
Speaking about filming during unprecedented times, Zax discussed how the project helped him get through the pandemic: “No matter what, it was just interesting to be filming in that moment. It gave me an artistic purpose at that time, it gave me the fuel I needed.” Tennenbaum noted how the documentary has become a “historical artefact,” as it directly represents the hardships and adaptations that communities like his own were forced to endure during the pandemic.
In terms of his inspirations, Zax discussed his cinematic heroes, touching on greats such as Frederick Wiseman, as well as his literary influences that he discovered whilst filming even noting that he had grown to love “Random Harvest” by James Hilton, a recommendation from Tennenbaum himself. The director finished with how he planned to take these learnings and inspirations with him as he completes his upcoming project about a lighthouse keeper.
At the end of the Q&A, Tennenbaum relayed some of his latest book recommendations and discussed what he had been reading recently, a stark reminder that this documentary is real and sincere in every sense as his passion for literature jumps from the screen through Zax’s incredible storytelling. In a post-pandemic world, “Hello, Bookstore” is a comforting reminder of how lucky we are to have individuals like Tennenbaum continuing to inspire us with their resilience, joy, and warmth.
5/5
