Boys State

Halfway in, I had to check to make sure this was a documentary. I don't know how the filmmakers lucked into one of their subjects but kudos and I'm glad I got to see the results.

This doc definitely has a slant to it but I think it's major theme of "change through listening" is universal.

Well done.

Out of fairness to the documentarian I think this deserves an 8, because it is a very well-made documentary but personally, I found it impossible to watch. Some of these boys (and I know this is Texas, a very macho/conservative leaning state) make me think "this is what's wrong with today's GOP". The boys who showed so much machismo seemed to fare much better than the low key, kinder & simply, from my perspective, nicer boys. I'm sure you can tell by now that I am a liberal minded individual (and am therefore glad that there are no comments available on this review) & I cannot say that it's a not a well-made documentary but you had better have a stomach for macho, 17-year-old a-holes if you think you're going to enjoy this. Personally, I find it unbelievable that Cory Booker & President Clinton succeeded in this 'competition', but maybe it's not just the macho who survive? I can't watch the end of it so I don't know.

It is easy to engage with the characters and politics of this film. You can get mad. You can yell at the screen. You can shake your head in dismay. You can stand up and cheer. But I guarantee you one thing: you cannot sit back and ignore what these Texan adolescents teach us. About our nation. About our politics. About ourselves. Steven Garza and his peers reminded me that politics don't have to define us, even if we let that happen far too often. I walked away momentarily hopeful that my kids could stand for something and that I could do the same...and also mindful that false binaries are super tempting for all of us. I wish every documentary managed this kind of storytelling and nuance.

This is a very good expose of the indoctrination of future fascists in this country and the incubation of toxic masculinity. The only bright spots in this otherwise bleak peak at our future are Steven Garza and Rene Otero. They are two young men of integrity.

In going to 'Boys State,' young men get a chance to see firsthand how the two-party political system in America works; in watching this documentary about it, we get a chance to see just how dangerously flawed it is. Setting aside the deeply conservative views of many of the predominantly white Texans and the alarm they cause on their own, we see many disturbing things: the desire to be on the winning side being more important than the policies in the platform, the need to deceive to run for office, how whipping people into a frenzy by chanting slogans is easier and more powerful than confronting difficult issues with the nuance they require, an undercurrent of race bias, and the use of social media and innuendo to smear the opponent.

One young fellow, Ben Feinstein, is incredibly charismatic, articulate, and intelligent - but we also see him consistently takes the low road as a party campaign chairman, which is unfortunate given his talents. The kid who is genuinely honest and seeks to understand the others and find pragmatic middle ground as a gubernatorial candidate, Steven Garza, is what politics desperately needs more of, but we see how difficult it is for someone like him to succeed. (Though as a side note, having Napoleon as a hero is an odd choice given the death and suffering attributable to him). It's a well-made documentary, with lots of candid moments and behind the scenes interviews, but I have to say, it's depressing too.