The makers of Knock Down the House set out to make a film about a bunch of women without money or political connections determined to take back the legislature from corporate politicians and moneyed interests. It's a worthwhile subject, but when the election was over they found that one of their subjects, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
At that point the filmmakers had a choice; focus equally on a series of interesting women dealing with unique challenges, or spend most of the time on a candidate who seems as though someone from central casting was asked to send up the female equivalent of JFK, FDR, and Jimmy Stewart.
Unsurprisingly, this is very much AOC's movie, a decision dictated both by her charisma and the results of the election. But while I don't say this was the wrong decision, it does give the movie an unbalanced feel, never quite about AOC but never fully about a movement either.
The movie is very much agitprop, and while I fully support its goals and views, at times I felt the film was a little too in love with its own narrative; for example, the portrayal of Joe Crowley as almost impossibly tone deaf and arrogant feels exaggerated, although I admit I don't know a thing about him and maybe his campaign really was a series of absurd missteps.
Anyway, I wouldn't say this was a *great* documentary, but it's certainly a good one and well worth watching.
At that point the filmmakers had a choice; focus equally on a series of interesting women dealing with unique challenges, or spend most of the time on a candidate who seems as though someone from central casting was asked to send up the female equivalent of JFK, FDR, and Jimmy Stewart.
Unsurprisingly, this is very much AOC's movie, a decision dictated both by her charisma and the results of the election. But while I don't say this was the wrong decision, it does give the movie an unbalanced feel, never quite about AOC but never fully about a movement either.
The movie is very much agitprop, and while I fully support its goals and views, at times I felt the film was a little too in love with its own narrative; for example, the portrayal of Joe Crowley as almost impossibly tone deaf and arrogant feels exaggerated, although I admit I don't know a thing about him and maybe his campaign really was a series of absurd missteps.
Anyway, I wouldn't say this was a *great* documentary, but it's certainly a good one and well worth watching.