A dedicated dance teacher continues inspiring his current and former students even after the arts high school in Gary, Indiana where he's taught for decades is shut down by the state.

By seeing a person who's devoted his life to teaching have to leave his position because of the financial crisis, Larry from Gary also humanizes the challenges facing arts education, especially in underprivileged cities.

And although it could be another sad film about the dissolution and disenfranchisement of at-risk people of color (no matter how painful and true those stories are), Larry from Gary instead focuses on the beautiful ways art and education allow communities filled with unsung heroes to grow and thrive despite difficult circumstances.