Educational Media Reviews Online

The film follows a group of young adults and their mentors as they navigate Washington politics. Viewers are thrown into the protests and debates with no background to explain who these people are or why we are following them. Viewers must do their homework before watching this film, which is a missed opportunity for education. The documentary records the chaos, anger, anxiety, and sadness experienced by these environmental and justice activists during 2019 to 2022. The emotions expressed are raw and can be hard to watch. If climate anxiety is high on your campus this film will be a trigger to many. Therefore, I recommend this documentary with reservations. This documentary could work in a film series on political activism, but a panel of mental health professionals, policy experts, and climate change scientists should be included with any viewing to help give some guidance and support to the turbulence witnessed.

This documentary is over 90-minutes long jumping between four story lines throughout making it too complicated to accommodate showing even portions for most classes. For educational purposes, instructors will be better served showing free news footage about the Green New Deal and the Inflation Reduction Act. For information on political activism and these organizations, the filmmakers’ and each of the organizations’ webpages provide better detail than the film. Given the frequent profanity and the very strong emotions expressed throughout, this documentary would not be appropriate for high school classes or younger. For instance, several activists go on a hunger strike and their friends are truly frightened for them. Yet, in the film there is no follow-up on their health or any guidance in the documentary about managing anxiety and despondency. The film’s purchase price for colleges and universities is the final deal breaker.

I suggest classes view instead these educational documentaries on environmental racism, climate change advocacy, and environmental policy: On the Fenceline: A Fight for Clean Air, The Condor & the Eagle, and Necessity: Climate Justice and the Thin Green Line. For documentaries about youth climate activists, watch Duty of Care: The Climate Trials and Youth v Gov

Awards:
Best Documentary Film, Crested Butte Film Festival

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