ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY – A Review by Cynthia Flores
This fantastic and articulate documentary is something everyone should watch. It gives the background and history of how we have gotten to where we are now regarding voting in America. I was shocked, but not surprised, to find out that, according to The Electoral Integrity Project, the United States is ranked dead last amongst western democracies. All In: The Fight For Democracy deals with the often overlooked but real and pervasive problem of voter suppression in America.
Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes, who co-directed/produced this film with producers Dan Cogan and Stacey Abrams, have done an outstanding job conveying a complex issue. They didn’t fill the screen with hyperbolic rhetoric and mudslinging. Instead, they stuck to the facts and well-documented history.
The film uses the experience of Stacey Abrams, the former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, and her much-publicized run for Governor of Georgia against Brian Kemp in 2018. Her story is the linchpin that offers us an insider’s look into laws and barriers to voting. Obstacles that most people don’t even know that threaten their fundamental rights as citizens of the United States. As the film interweaves her story with current activism and historical insight, it exposes a problem that has corrupted our democracy from the very beginning.
When asked why the two renowned filmmakers wanted to co-direct this project, they told Southern Poverty Law Center the following: “The project started when I met Stacey Abrams in the summer of 2019.” Liz Garbus said, “She came to New York to meet different filmmakers to explore making a film about voting rights and its tortured and tumultuous history. It was a bit of kismet, because I had wanted to make a film about the franchise after the 2016 election but didn’t have the “hook.” Stacey’s gubernatorial race of 2018 was that hook. It was the small story that could tell the big one.” Lisa Cortes also told them, “In our film, we spent time with activists and organizations across the country who are mobilizing their communities.” she continues, “You are left with a great sense of hope by their collective works. It will be the people who save us. We are the ones we have been waiting for.”
All In: The Fight For Democracy is as entertaining as it is enlightening. It’s a timely message for us as we go into voting booths soon. I hope they show this film in schools and teach the next generation all our history, the good and the bad. It’s a real eye-opener and will hopefully inspire people to get involved and exercise their right to vote.
I give All In: The Fight For Democracy 4.5-stars. Tell everyone you know to vote and to see this film.
Directed by: Liz Garbus, Lisa Cortes
Rated PG-13
Selig Rating4.5 Stars
Running Time: 102min
Documentary
Limited Theatrical Release: September 9th, available Amazon Prime Video September 19th
Featuring: Stacey Abrams
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
4 Stars – Good movie
3 Stars – OK movie
2 Stars – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
1 Star – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
