A New Film About Robert Reich

My big announcement

I have some news. Not exactly breaking news — but I haven't shared it here until now. Some of you might have already heard this morning if you subscribe to a certain other Substack.

That’s because the incomparable Robert Reich wrote today that a movie has been made about his final semester teaching his immensely popular “Wealth and Poverty” course at UC Berkeley — before his retirement in 2023.

Well, I directed the film — with the invaluable help of a team of truly talented people.

We’ve called it The Last Class. And after years of work, it is exciting to start to share it with the world.

We have a poster (see below), a trailer in the works, and an opening run scheduled for late June at the Quad Cinema in New York City. We also have plans to take the film on the road across the country.

We’ll have opportunities for you to stream the film, but we believe there’s no better way to experience a movie than in a packed theater. That’s why we’re thrilled to be trying a new grassroots approach called theatrical on demand — a way for communities to bring films into local theaters. That means if enough people in your area are interested, we can show The Last Class on a screen near you.

Please sign up here to experience Prof. Reich’s last class on film:

We will be launching a Substack for The Last Class where we’ll share updates, answer your questions, offer behind-the-scenes stories, and hopefully build a community amongst you viewers around the film’s central themes — education, service, and confronting the passage of time in an age of dangerous disruption.

It was exhilarating to sit in the classroom with Professor Reich and hundreds of students — witnessing his captivating lectures, his knowledge shaped by empathy, his unwavering sense of hope in the face of relentless societal cynicism.

I feel deeply privileged that Bob trusted me to capture an important chapter of his life for posterity. He was incredibly candid in our interviews, sharing — with raw emotion — his conflicted feelings about retirement, about the state of America, and about aging more broadly. Even for those of you who have known and admired Robert Reich for decades, you’ll see parts of him he’s never shared publicly before.

I owe deep thanks to the many people who helped make this film possible — starting with Bob’s longtime collaborator (and Coffee Klatch podcast co-host) Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse. Heather’s not only in the film — she practically willed it into existence, producing the heck out of it every step of the way.

When this project began, the idea was not to miss the opportunity to capture a few one-off scenes and experiences — maybe to put on YouTube. That it’s now a feature-length documentary is thanks entirely to Heather’s grit, initiative, creativity, and resolve.

I’m also deeply grateful to Josh Melrod — the film’s editor and a producer — who saw what I saw, a nuanced and emotional journey. His expert eye and ear for dialogue, music, and scene-setting have turned the raw footage into a beautifully immersive narrative. And to my longtime collaborators: the always-inspiring Ian Cheney, whose executive producing (and steady mix of prodding and encouragement) helped me through the highs and lows, and Meredith DeSalazar— producer, rock, and friend of decades. The credits are full of others who made this film possible.

Finally, I want to thank all of you. Writing the Through The Fog newsletter, hearing your feedback, and trying — together — to make sense of this often hellish world fills me with a deep conviction: the goodness, decency, and wisdom out there still far outweighs the horrors. Robert Reich and his teaching echo the values and themes we talk about here, as he embodies so much of what truly makes this country great. 

I’ve watched The Last Class at least three dozen times. And I’m still captivated by seeing Professor Reich share his insights—how he thinks, and what he thinks—with his students, and us all. Witnessing the faces in the lecture hall, you can see his wisdom take hold. You can see new leaders finding their voice.

I hope many of you will join us — and share in the film’s clear-eyed but ultimately hopeful message: that the path to repairing what is so broken must begin with education — and with teachers, like Robert Reich.

I believe deeply in the power of film, just as I believe in the power of education. Whether it’s a classroom or a movie theater, coming together in person with others to learn, observe, and experience can be transformative — especially now, when so much is at stake.

I wanted to leave you with a favorite quote of mine about movies, from the late film critic Roger Ebert. It captures what I hoped to capture in The Last Class. 

“We are who we are: where we were born, who we were born as, how we were raised. We’re kind of stuck inside that person, and the purpose of civilization and growth is to be able to reach out and empathize a little bit with other people. And for me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy. It lets you understand a little bit more about different hopes, aspirations, dreams and fears. It helps us to identify with the people who are sharing this journey with us.”

See you at the movies.