All In: The Fight for Democracy

Note: This film opens in theaters this Friday. While we don't advocate for or recommend moviegoers go into movie theaters just yet, if you choose to do so please take all proper precautions, and keep in mind that area drive-in theaters also are carrying first-run films like this.

"All In: The Fight for Democracy" premieres on Amazon Prime Video September 18.

"All In: The Fight for Democracy" does what all good documentaries of its type should do.

It provides a level-headed, complete look at the historical context of its subject.

It speaks with experts who break down clearly what the subject is, what the stakes are, and does so in an intelligent, informed way.

It makes an impassioned, compelling argument for fairness and justice.

"All In" is a documentary chronicling America's past when it comes to voter suppression, giving a historical context (and how from the start voting was not meant to be fair for all), and how over the decades and centuries those in power have shaped voting law and logistics in such a way that certain groups (read: minorities) have been purposefully excluded.

Directors Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes create a compelling case, damning the establishment all the way back to the beginning, noting that in the election that gave us George Washingotn as the first president, only 6% of the population was eligible to vote. For a film of its type, one that could (and should) be shown in schools throughout the country, It's surprisingly accessible and entertaining.

Much of the first half of the film is taken up by a protracted history lesson, an in a lesser film it would be a dull distraction at best, and a preponderance of partisan pish posh at worst. But here it's a searing indictment of a populace of old white men desperately clinging to their place at the top of the heap, trying to retain the power they perceive they need to retain at all costs.

As the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts explicitly gave voting rights and power to minorities, the tactics had to change to become more insidious. Voter ID laws, Literacy tests, gerrymandering, and outright voter intimidation kept minority votes down. Cases like Maceo Snipes, a black World War II veteran who returned home after fighting facists, determined to vote for the first time, and was shot dead on his porch for doing so.

These factors have given certain groups advantages in the past, and a key Supreme Court case overturning parts of the Voting Rights Act (which dissenting Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg likened to standing in a rainstorm and throwing out your umbrella because you aren't getting wet) contributed to putting Donald Trump in the White House.

Garbus and Cortes bookend the film through the lens of the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election where Stacey Abrams, a young upstart, a the first black woman to run for the officer, took on Brian Kemp, the Republican Secretary of State, whose job put him squarely in charge of the state's elections, creating a conflict of interest, which Kemp most likely took full advantage of. Mass poll-place closings (conveniently in poor and mostly minority neighborhoods), purged voter rolls, and long lines meant the poor, ill, and otherwise disadvantaged would have a difficult time voting.

Abrams herself has a major role in the film, and her large personality buoys the film well. Other voices, from historical experts to politicians like former Attorney General Eric Holder, bring additional perspective and levity, while archival footage, old newspaper clippings, and other historical records punctuate the overarching point: that we need to keep a closer watch both on elections and how we vote.

"All In: The Fight for Democracy" doesn't try to be non-partisan, but it's fair. It doesn't try to be nice to the other side, though it clearly spells out their intentions. And it doesn't advocate quietly going with the grain when your rights are being trampled brazenly in front of your eyes. It's a call to action--to combat being taken advantage of, of being silenced, and of being kept in a subservient role.

And why should it? It's just doing its job. And it does it very well.