Adelaide Film Festival: Homegrown

Film name: Homegrown

Hub rating: ★★★★★

Director: Michael Premo

Country: United States

Classification: Unclassified 15+

Link: https://www.adelaidefilmfestival.org/program/2024/homegrown

Continuing our Adelaide Film Festival journey was a gripping documentary on American political zealots.

Homegrown follows three men and the rise of the movement surrounding Republican President Donald Trump in and around the 2020 election. One of the men, Chris, is a New Jersey father-to-be who had only become involved in politics since the 2016 election of Trump. Another man, Randy, is a New York City retired army veteran who was vital in much of the organising of conservatives building the Trump movement. Finally, Thad is a Texas father who fell deeply into the extreme right of the Trump’s movement while also trying to reconcile his beliefs with other, more left wing, movements such as Black Lives Matter. Their radical beliefs grew as the Trump presidency came to an end and they believed, even without evidence, that Donald Trump had won the 2020 election. This culminated with Chris’ participation in the January 6th Capitol insurrection.

The documentary showcased how quickly momentum in a movement can increase extreme radicalisation. This was a very intriguing insight into the American political sphere, especially due to the upcoming presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

Though I didn't necessarily enjoy the feeling, there is no doubt that Premo absolutely mastered the art of making his audience feel anxious. This was largely due to his portrayal of the real life dangers posed by the political zealots featured in the film and his accurate documentation of their hate-driven thoughts and actions. All of this culminated with an extreme show of bravery and journalistic integrity by Premo and his sound operator, Rachel Falcone, filming on the front lines of the January 6th riots on Capitol Hill. The dedication of the creators can be felt with every fight breaking out between his subjects and the police present, and was truly something admirable that could be felt throughout the runtime.

One thing that could be seen as lacking in the documentary is more diversity among the subjects. While it is commonly accepted that middle aged white men are the primary demographic of Trump supporters, every day online we see more and more cases of people with marginalised identities supporting the Republican party against their own best interests. Following someone within one of these demographics could have provided an extra level of depth in exploring why a person would turn to the MAGA movement. This desire especially comes after the post-screening Q&A revealed that the documentary crew followed a dozen individuals, including some women and people of colour.

Everyone should see this documentary. It is confronting but is so vital to the current political climate. With unrest and instability since the Covid-19 pandemic, this documentary showcases the reasons behind, and impact of, extreme radicalisation on everyday people.

Homegrown has another showing on Saturday the 2nd of November at 4:45pm at The Piccadilly. Buy your tickets at the Adelaide Film Festival website.

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