the centerpiece of lackawanna blue be the character rachel nanny crosby and who run a boardinghouse and provide unflagging support to a young boy and ruben and the narrator of the film . base upon the experience of writer actor ruben santiago hudson and the film lovingly recreate the upstate new york boardinghouse and evoke the cultural climate of a world in transition in the 1960s . the first half of the film be virtually non stop music . the second half address more completely the various character in the boardinghouse . nanny ability to take fragment and make them whole affect everyone within her sphere . an especially vivid scene be when she confront an abusive husband and tell him firmly and if you ever touch that child again and be go to dance . a deliver by actress s. epatha merkerson and that line be so steely and fill with such resolve that the husband with the hair trigger temper be freeze in his track . from start to finish and merkerson delivers a commanding presence her character bind together the disparate life of the border in her home . this be a touching and heartfelt film with a wonderful cast . a play by merkerson and the character of nanny simply radiate love . this be a film experience that i will remember for a long time to come .