By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Amanda McBaine | Jesse Moss
Country: united_states
Year: 2020
Running time: 109
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11095742/reference
Chris says: “I’m often drawn to documentaries that focus on a subculture or an event that I personally would never, ever want to participate in, like this conference of a thousand teenage boys from Texas who come together in state capital Austin to build a mock government complete with elected officials. Viewing the whole process from the outside in, it’s a total microcosm of the current American political climate. The filmmakers (including Jeff Moss, who directed the excellent THE OVERNIGHTERS) craft a compelling, credibly suspenseful narrative by focusing in-depth on just four participants that run the ideological gamut, from Ben, who actually likens himself to conservative nitwit Ben Shapiro, to Steven, son of a Mexican immigrant who organized the March For Our Lives in Houston and is introduced wearing a Beto O’Rourke t-shirt.
“Subtitles at the beginning inform us that such conferences are held annually in different states for both sexes and that past participants include everyone from Bill Clinton to Rush Limbaugh. I was left one wondering what a GIRLS STATE would look like in comparison to this; I think we need a sequel. 4 cats”
Diane says: “5 cats from me. Doc BOYS STATE just keeps getting better and tenser, as the stakes rise and the party chairs borrow the worst strategies from our real-life political parties. I agree with Chris that we need a sequel where the high school girls form a mock government. Surely abortion won’t be the number one issue on -their- platform?”