The premise of the 2005 documentary "The Boys of Baraka" sounds like a reality TV show: Four at-risk pre-teen boys from the Baltimore ghettos are taken to a rural boarding school in Kenya called Baraka for two years. There, they get in touch with nature and learn without the distractions of project life. Then they return to the precarious environment of their American home. That's when "Baraka" is far more real — and harrowing — than anything "Survivor" creator Mark Burnett might throw together. At Doris Duke Theatre, 1 and 7:30 p.m. today. 532-8768.

12 DAYS 'TIL MOM'S DAY

It's a challenge to find entertaining, inexpensive gifts for Mom that don't ooze sap. Here's a little one with a long title: The " 'I Owe You, Mom' Coupon Book: 52 Little Ways to Show I Love You Big-Time" (Simon & Schuster). The 52 IOU coupons entitle mom to everything from the predictable "one day of housecleaning" to a poker lesson. What it really promises is quality time for you and mom. Available at Bookends in Kailua and Borders, $6.95.

FINAL WORD

College in Massachusetts "was so far from my reality, when I was growing up. I was just some surfer chick from Miami."

Catherine Keener | the actress, in Entertainment Weekly