In the shadow of the pandemic, a small town rallies to protect a beloved local bookstore.
A landmark in Lenox, Massachusetts, The Bookstore is a magical, beatnik gem thanks to its owner Matt Tannenbaum, whose passion for stories runs deep. This intimate portrait of The Bookstore and the family at its heart offers a journey through good times, hard times, and the stories hidden on the shelves.
Thomas Farragher of The Boston Globe calls the film “Compelling and heartwarming. A drama worthy of Hollywood magic created by Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart.”
“I have always felt at home in a bookstore,” said director A.B. Zax. “By that living, breathing sense of connection to stories and voices, old and new. For me, that sensation has never been stronger than inside The Bookstore in Lenox, Massachusetts. After spending many blissful hours listening to Matt Tannenbaum's tales and watching him hold court at The Bookstore, I was struck by a vision to capture its essence: this person, this place and the community that it serves.”
“When I started filming in the autumn of 2019, I never could have predicted what story would present itself in March 2020. I only knew that it was my responsibility not to shy away from the surreal, extraordinary events unfolding around us,” continued Zax. “What emerged in the hardship of the pandemic, more viscerally than I ever could have imagined, was the symbiosis between a community and a bookstore. That a bookstore isn't merely a whimsical place to pick out a book, it's vital to our well-being. And that we need stories now more than ever.”