Follow the Leader: Politics Isn’t Just Child’s Play 2012
Distributed by Changeworx
Produced by Jonathan Goodman Levitt
Directed by Jonathan Goodman Levitt
DVD , color, 74 min.
Sr. High - General Adult
Political Science
Date Entered: 07/11/2013
Reviewed by Mary Northrup, Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods, Kansas City, MissouriOpening with scenes from Boys State leadership programs, this documentary takes viewers right into the super-charged lives of three boys: D. J. of Massachusetts, Nick from Pennsylvania, and Ben from Virginia. It is 2006 and the politically aware boys, conservatives all, are active in high school student government. The camera follows them at school, at home, and in the community, and introduces their views.
When in college, the young men stay politically active, but go through some changes. D.J. evolves from a Bush-backing conservative to working for a Democratic candidate for governor. Nick goes to college in Washington, DC, where, disillusioned by politics, he becomes a journalist, also covering political issues. Ben stays closest to his ideals, interning for a Republican for a state senate election, then going to Carnegie Mellon University and bringing back the College Republicans’ organization.
For all the outer changes in their lives, the most fascinating part of this film is seeing the changes in their thinking, from the typical black-and-white concrete thinking of teens to the more nuanced thoughts of their college-age selves.
The production values of this film are high, with excellent visuals and sound. Anyone with an interest in politics will find the story of D.J., Nick, and Ben interesting and worthy of discussion. In addition, politicians of all stripes can be sighted in this documentary. Political junkies will enjoy identifying them, plus reliving the 2008 presidential election and how it affected the three young men. The ending ties up loose ends and shows where the three are now, six years after they started as subjects of this documentary. And they do get the last word, appearing as talking heads over the final credits.
Political science classes in high school and college will be the prime audiences for this film, as well as anyone interested in politics or in teenage development. School libraries, academic libraries, and public libraries may all want to consider this DVD.