By Chris Kriofske
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Linda Goldstein Knowlton
Country: united_states
Year: 2019
Running time: 95
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9083130/reference
Chris says: “The Radical Monarchs are an Oakland-based alternative scouting troop for young girls of color–instead of learning about making crafts or developing camping skills (though they do a little of both), they’re taught about social justice: how to take pride in themselves and how to be activists, earning merit badges on Black Lives Matter, but also disability advocacy and LGBTQ rights. Filmmaker Lisa Goldstein Knowlton follows the inaugural troop’s full cycle, from shortly after their grass roots inception in 2014 to three years later. In that time, the girls become teenagers as the world around them is increasingly in flux; sound bites covering the key political events of time are woven in, and while they provide context, they can feel a little clumsy. Happily, they don’t seriously detract from what is a candid and at times moving account on the effect education and support has on these girls, not to mention what could be achieved if every city had a chapter of this program.