Movie Review: Knock Down the House

Knock Down the House *** ½ / *****

Directed by: Rachel Lears.

 

Knock Down the House is a political documentary that makes no claims at being unbiased or without a POV. It has one – and is up front with it, you can either deal with it or not. The film follows four women – outsiders to the political process – who challenge incumbent Democratic candidates in 2016 primaries. They are from four different parts of the country – St. Louis, Las Vegas, West Virginia, Queens – but they do share a lot in common. Basically, that they are women, they are working class, and they are fed up with even the Democrats being more responsive to corporate interests than their own constituents. They want to shake up the political process.

 

Director Rachel Lears can probably count herself as one of the luckiest documentarians around since one of those four women whose campaign she has access to was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who since beating Joe Crowley – one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress for the nomination, has become the fastest rising star in American politics. She is adored by the left, and reviled by the right – who don’t seem to quite know what to make of her, or how to bring her down. They attack strange things about her – remember when they tried to embarrass her with a video of her dancing in college, or tried to imply she didn’t grow up working class because her family didn’t live in a hovel, or mocked her for not being able to afford an apartment in Washington DC right away until the housing allowance kicked in? All of those things would, of course, be in the future of the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, we see in this film – this one ends that night in June when she beat Crowley.

 

As a filmmaker, Lears knows who the star of her film is – and doesn’t really try and hide it. It will spend significant amount of time with Paul Jean Swearengian, as she runs a primary campaign for Senate in West Virginia – tired of everyone in her state bowing to the coal industry that has destroyed their state, and given many of them cancer. And with Cori Bush, from the St. Louis area, who is tired of the black congressman that has held the seat for years (and his father years before that) and yet has yet to make any sort of improvements for the black people in the area. And with Amy Vilela, who gave up a good corporate career, because she feels very passionately about health care for all – after a devastating, heartbreaking tragedy in her own life brought that into focus. All three are inspiring stories in their own way – even if they have not experience the meteoritic rise of Ocasio-Cortez. I’m wager about half the film is her and her campaign – with the other half going to other three combined. So while it’s not wholly accurate to call Knock Down the House the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, it’s not really inaccurate either.

 

And it is a treat to watch her campaign. For someone who was working as a bartender and a waitress before this campaign, she proved to be a natural. She is charming and funny, self-effacing and passionate. She knows her stuff. At an early debate – which Crowley didn’t even attend, he sent a surrogate in his place, Ocasio-Cortez destroys her opponent. Later, when Crowley will debate her, she more than holds her own – and goes on the offensive effectively. Perhaps he took it for granted that he would win – and would have done things differently if he thought that there was a real danger in losing. But he didn’t – and try to oust her now.

 

Knock Down the House is an inspiring documentary – particularly if you (like me) are sympathetic to its politics, and already like its main focus. And unlike many political documentaries, it may have staying power as well as I have a feeling it will turn out to be a document of the first campaign of a politician who is going to be around for a long time. She may even become President. It certainly wouldn’t shock me.