Review of Boys State (2020) by Mr_Misthios — 14 Aug 2020

Boys State is an excellent foray into the world of youth political role play and the passion with which many young people have toward their future in that space. As an Australian, this concept is foreign to us across the Pacific, so perhaps my fascination is fuelled by the spectacle of 1000+ high school lads playing out a political system with their own district, state and governor hierarchy with a final push to “win” governance of the “Boys State”. The following of the week long spectacle, some of its chief protagonists and the election process was certainly enthralling to watch. The passion of these young men for their (largely conservative) beliefs and the decision of, say, personal pro life/choice or gun control belief candidates to either stand their ground on their values vs alter them for political popularity is very interesting. When I apply an Australian lens over this democratic process (I feel we are more liberal even with a conservative government in power - especially on matters such as firearms) it is as much an education for me as the drama going on. Truly a fascinating capture of this process.

Some detractors: I feel that some key people (especially one in particular) got virtually no air time. Maybe they declined, but I felt there was room here to balance the relationship building with various candidates rather than focus largely on just three. Also, Apple TV need to check their quality control - there’s a period half way in where the audio loses sync with the picture. I thought it was me but I switched devices and even platforms and the issue persists on all three.

Overall though this is a decent production and I hope they give us a glimpse of Girls State next time given future female leaders go through their own separate process.