(This review comes courtesy of our coverage of the Doc10 Film Festival at the Davis Theater in Chicago, Illinois. Keep a look out for continuing coverage, including reviews and interviews, all weekend.)
In fall 2016, director Rachel Lears had just become a mother and, in the wake of her new responsibilities, wondered if she was going to stray away from filmmaking. Then the presidential election happened. Work on her next project began one day later, aiming to buoy the efforts of progressive women in politics. It wasn’t long until she found the four Congress nominees that she’d follow: Cori Bush of Missouri; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York; Paula Jean Swearengin of West Virginia; and Amy Vilela of Nevada.