In the spirit of “Hoop Dreams,” the riveting vérité documentary “To Be Heard” tracks three young friends in a Bronx high school whose lives are altered through a poetry workshop bent on teaching the power of self-expression

“To Be Heard” is one of the best documentaries of the year.

Three talented high-school students from the Bronx find their voices through a poetry-writing course in “To Be Heard,” a topnotch testimonial to the transformative power of the pen. Reminiscent of the years-spanning intimacy of “Love and Diane” or “Hoop Dreams,” the docu plays like a three-pronged, true-life version of “Precious,” but studded with pithy, evocative verse and without that film’s ingrained sense of otherness. Preeming at the Doc NYC fest, where it topped its competition section and won the audience award, this well-crafted docu, skedded for PBS broadcast next year, merits a theatrical run in the interim.

The feature-length documentary, “To Be Heard,” gives an intimate look at three high school students and friends from the Bronx over four years, inside and outside the classroom.

To Be Heard is a documentary uses the power of language, words and poetry over the ones who can actually use it.

One of the surprise hits of DOC-NY, “To Be Heard” may seem like it’s the same old tired routine, but everyone involved refuses to succumb to mediocrity.