Boys State

Cinema has been noticeably light recently on blockbuster spectacle, but the sight of this malleable young man learning about himself in real time as the camera rolls can feel as wondrous as any special effects.

The experience is perfectly setting these kids up for what American democracy is -- it's about winning and losing, your party's success... Boys State, as a chronicle of this experience, accurately then also focuses on winning and losing.

The documentary about a political boot camp is a depressingly accurate microcosm of the American electoral circus...helpful-if only as a cautionary tale about what extracurriculars not to enroll your kids in.

Boys State has noble aims when it comes to teaching teenagers how their leaders are chosen and held accountable, but Boys State shows that those aims can only do so much to keep the uglier side of that process at bay.

"Boys State" is a remarkable glimpse at the state of politics today.

A nagging absence buzzes throughout nearly the entire film, distracting the viewer from the substance, however engaging, of what's onscreen.

You can see our future as both hopeful and alarming, leading this to really be the scariest movie of the year, and I don’t know if that should be seen as a compliment...

An extremely well edited piece of non-fiction storytelling... We might be losing faith in politics but thanks to Boys State, the state of the union between politics and film is as strong as ever.

It’s a fascinating experiment to behold, with truly unpredictable consequences.

For me the most disheartening thing about “Boys State” is that most of what we see mirrors our existing political climate rather than give hope that change will come with the next generation.