Professor's Class Soon in Session

By S.T. VanAirsdale

Again, I don't do Valentine's Day, but if there was one work-in-progress documentary to which I would pledge my unyielding devotion and a candy heart emblazoned "BE MINE," it would probably be Daniel Kraus's Professor. The third entry in Kraus's Work Series of films profiling people at, ahem, work (the previous two, Sheriff and Musician, dazzled me in 2007), the doc follows religion professor Jay Holstein doing his thing for devoted freshmen at the University of Iowa.

Like the first two films in the series, the preview below won't win any technical prizes. It does emphasize, however, the oddly riveting quality of Kraus's subjects and his almost abstractly detached means of depicting them. At the very least, Holstein's introductory lecture is a heartfelt love letter to higher education, so turn down the lights and luxuriate in his dulcet V-day tones.

Posted at February 14, 2008 12:18 PM