This Divided State
A couple of weeks ago my sister, mother and I watched the documentary This Divided State by Minority Films, LLC.
The documentary itself was very well done. I’ll let my sister sum up the film -
The documentary focused on controversy at Utah Valley State College after student body representatives invited filmmaker Michael Moore to speak on campus (two weeks before the Presidential election).
Elements of religion and freedom of speech came into play as students and community members filed petitions, grievances and lawsuits trying to revoke the decision, citing a misuse of funds. Death threats. Bribery. Sean Hannity. No punches were pulled.
The film provided a well-balanced view of events, focusing on personal accounts of several key players while keeping sight of the issues at large.
Sitting on the couch, balancing my computer, typing and trying to maintain my WiFi signal, I distracted myself from the movie, but that didn’t last long. I started the day angry and stressed, tired and worried – overcome with events and work and familial obligation – but 20 minutes into the film I actually set the computer aside and focused, eager to see the story unfold.
I would say this was a very fair and honest documentary that exposed the raw underbelly of the state of American politics as it is right this moment. The most shocking effect this documentary had was very clear. My sister writes -
I also found myself screaming at the television, yelling not at the film or director Steven Greenstreet, but rather at the situation, at the violation of first amendment rights, at the lengths to which people went.
My mother, sitting at the other end of the political spectrum and the other end of the couch, watched with equal interest; though, she did flip through a magazine at one point and left the room at another, angry with some of the words and actions. (She’s less likely to scream at inanimate objects than I am.)
The visceral reaction Michael Moore and Sean Hannity invoked with only a few words was profound. My sister screaming at the TV, I sit quietly and my mom gets up and walks out of the room. Amazing. Watch this film.
