#SUNDANCE: “GIRLS STATE” REVIEW

By Amanda Gilmore

Directors Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss’ return to Sundance after premiering their hit Boys State back in 2020. They bring yet another captivating look inside the world of teenage politics with the outstanding Girls State.

This time around they focus in on a group of teenage girls from all over Missouri. They each have a passion for government and attend a week-long immersive experience in American democracy. They must build a government from the ground up and reimagine what it means to govern.

A Documentary about people relies heavily on the charisma of those subjects. Thankfully for McBaine and Moss, each of the teenage girls attending Girls State are loaded with charisma, passion, and ambition. We get to know each of them as they run for Governor, Attorney General, and spots on the Supreme Court. We’re instantly swept up in their goals leading us to cheer and cry at their wins and losses.

During their time at Girls State, the issues of reproductive rights loom over them as the real-life U.S. Supreme Court debates overturning Roe v. Wade. It makes for an enthralling look into the minds and opinions of future leaders on the topic. Most importantly, the Co-Directors’ lens is focused solely on the future leaders who will be directly impacted by the overturn.

Girls State can push its theme of gender inequality within government further by having the Boys State share the same campus. The young women at Girls State are told they can’t walk alone anywhere on campus and their clothes must be of a certain length. While Boys State can walk alone anywhere and can have their shirts off whenever they wish. Including this in the documentary allows McBaine and Moss to show that even in an all-female pseudo-government, women are conditioned to be treated differently and feel less than. It’s the bittersweet reality that the Co-Directors leave you with while leaving room for hope that change will happen thanks to these brilliant minds.

Apple TV+ will release Girls State on April 5, 2024.

Girls State screens at Sundance ’24:

Jan 18 at 3:30 PM at Eccles Theatre

Jan 19 at 5:00 PM at Magaplex Theatres at The Gateway – Theatre 1/2/3

Jan 20 at 9:00 AM at The Ray Theatre

Jan 21 at 2:15 PM at Magaplex Theatres at The Gateway – Theatre 8/9

Jan 24 at 11:30 AM at Redstone Cinemas – 2

Jan 27 at 6:45 PM at Magaplex Theatres at The Gateway – Theatre 8/9