Knock Down the House Review
NR
Jubilee Films, Atlas Films, Artemis Rising
1 Hr and 26 Minutes
Dir: Rachel Lears | Writers: Rachel Lears, Robin Blotnick
Cast: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vilela, Cori Bush, Paula Jean Swearengin
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a young, bold Puerto Rican bartender from the Bronx, had to work double shifts to save her family’s home from foreclosure. She knows many of her neighbors are also hard-pressed to make a living. In order to bring representation to one of the most marginalized constituencies in America, Alexandria runs for office.
This film follows four women—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vilela, Cori Bush, and Paula Jean Swearengin—who join a movement of insurgent candidates to topple incumbents in an electric primary race for Congress. At a moment of historic volatility in American politics, these four women—all political outsiders—unite to do what many consider impossible. Their efforts result in a legendary upset.
The state of politics in the past several years has been a damn mess. Ever since the 2016 presidential election, nothing was ever the way it used to be. Instead of wallowing in sadness like a bunch of people in America, documentarian director Rachel Lears got up and decided to have her next feature focus on several trailblazing women from different states who fought the good fight to run for senate. For a film funded through Kickstarter, Tribeca Film Institute, Independent Filmmaker Project, it is inspiring and important that this story is told, especially in today’s insane climate.
While the film follows four congressional candidates from various cities, the movie spends the majority of its focus on Ocasio-Cortez. Through the segments of her origin story there are amazing sequences of Ocasio-Cortez expressing to the camera the absurdities of her opponent Joseph Crowley and critiquing his effortless political campaign for re-election. From being absent in public forums, to having a hella vague marketing poster, and down to cliched mannerisms that politicians like him have, Ocasio-Cortez unapologetically expresses how a campaign should NOT be run as we watch her give her all to her journey. What makes it even better is seeing one of her critiques come into fruition in a powerful debate scene that makes you laugh out loud and cheer at the same time. If you didn’t stan AOC before, you sure as hell will after watching this.
There is so much admiration for AOC, primarily her ability to communicate with others no matter her environment. The communities she journeys to in her campaign include the red areas. Instead of going to the diverse communities of Queens where you know AOC would surely win, we see her travel to some neighborhoods that lean right. Believe me, there are several places in Queens that are fully red.
Knock Down the House is not just a documentary, but it also has to be one of the best real life superhero origin stories of all time. You might assume that is a joke, but from the footage Lears captures and the insightful depth taken into account, this plays as a superhero origin story for AOC and all the other candidates who ran for a position in the senate and are trying to fight for the community when corrupt elected leaders don’t even try.
An aspect of the film that I love and commend Lears for is her approach depicting every single nominee as a human more so than a just a candidate, and more so than a woman. To take politics and gender out of consideration, each person is relatable as they boldly share their personal stories and express their true motivation for running. She allows her viewers to connect with everyone and for that you root alongside each candidate in hopes that they win. If you aren’t too aware about the outcomes of their races, you emotionally resonate and root for every individual to win. Through each phenomenal candidate, you see the level of commitment and obstacles they face as they attempt to win. All featured candidates form a bond with each other and express their admiration for each other in hopes that, if at least one of them wins a seat in their individual race, then the fight would be won.
Lears’ editor/husband Robin Blotnick applies some stylish choices to the film as well. There is one amazing transition from Amy Vilela driving in Vegas to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez riding the NYC subway. Fluently spliced moments like that just send chills down my spine. Where the story goes is immensely impactful and the ending shot of the film is even more so. Not to spoil what the ending shot of the film is exactly, but it features AOC doing an activity in front of a D.C. monument that accurately depicts the generation she represents and to have the film end on that note is such a bold and powerful choice that depicts hope for the future in the troubled times we live in now. Then, there are great visual effects applied to her story, such as her infamous clap back to Ted Cruz on Twitter and you see her use Instagram first hand which is amazing.
Knock Down the House is a documentary that makes me want to get more involved in politics, especially the ones going on in my state. I live in Brooklyn so the only local elections I get involved in are the ones revolving around mayors and governors. When you’re from one of five boroughs, you’re never really aware of the other politics outside the one you live in. I may have seen several posters of AOC around the city when I used to travel to Jamaica and Astoria, Queens but she never really came onto my radar until she blasted Ted Cruz on Twitter and my friend Nicole Millman volunteered as a photojournalist on her congressional run later in her game. So, watching this doc was really eye-opening seeing this 29-year-old woman start from the bottom and reach the top was incredibly inspiring. I hope it opens the eyes of others in the ways it opened mine. Plus, there was a dreaded reminder of the idiotic political world we live in now.
Thankfully, there are videos going viral of AOC being a boss and professionally knocking down the absurdly stupid laws that are present in the country while idiots use videos of her having fun in high school as a means of making her look bad. As if they’re supposed to be scandalous. In the doc, you see footage of her being an adorable kid. It's sad that some right wing republican might use that footage in an attempt to make her look bad. I wish I was joking, but that’s the sad world we live in now. Thankfully things are currently playing like this right now.
Knock Down the House is a thought-provoking, eye-opening, urgent, and inspirational doc which powerfully lays down the groundwork for the beginning of change in politics and hopefully inspires future leaders to try to make some change, like the amazing subjects in the film.
Now, how do I give an Oscar to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez because I stan.
Rating: 5/5 | 96%
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