Synopsis:
A ballet-teaching anti-war protester with an expensive sports-car, a Pro-Life activist cocktail waitress, a black-block anarchist with dreams of hip-hop stardom, a Native American union organizer, and a Log Cabin Republican all walk into a bar... okay, so maybe they don't. But these five adamantly outspoken Americans all take turns holding court in director Louis Yansen's documentary, which obstinately celebrates our First Amendment and the wide-open plurality of opinion that makes this country great, even during a politically charged time when dissent is more often than not equated with treason.
Shot over a period of several years, Yansen's film becomes fascinating in the way he's able to chart his young ideologues evolving over time, and we see them choose their battles wisely (and sometimes unwisely) in the face of many obstacles, including increased government clampdowns on political activism, and the indignity of cordoned-off, faraway "Free Speech Zones." Chicago Seven alum Tom Hayden supplies a running commentary, but Yansen wisely never chooses sides, instead espousing a perhaps antiquated American ideal-one where all points of view will be heard and respected.
- Vincent Archer
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Tyrone |
Jasmine |
Joe |
Alexis |
Emcee Lynx |
Director's Statement:
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"Have you ever been in a situation where you could not believe what you were seeing? Well, that's exactly what happenned to me in 2000 in LA. I was videotaping the proceedings inside the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. As one can imagine with events like this, everything seemed homogenized, canned and prearranged and rehearsed and staged – another words really boring despite the presence of many stars from the world of politics and enterntainment. So I went outside the building. What I saw took my breath away: there were maybe 10,000 protesters across the street chanting slogans representing many divergent political opinions. It seemed like this is democracy in action. If you believe in something, you should be able to take a stand in public and express your ideas. This is what this country is all about – freedom. Suddenly the LA Riot Police on horses charged into the crowd and started beating them up with sticks. It was like what I imagined it must have been when the cossaks in Russia would attack the protesting peasants. It was like a vision from 18th century Russia. This scene was so unreal to me, especially in comparison with the well-orchestrated events inside, that it sparked me to do make a movie. I was curious as to who these people willing to put their lives on the line to be heard, who these people were. Were they some reckless anarchists? One often hears in this country, especially lately, how very few people vote, thus how very few people really care about what's going on politically. There is this myth of the politically apathetic young people who would rather party and do drugs than try to stand up for what's wrong and try to affect political change. Personally, I am no revolutionary, but just as sure, I am sick and tired of people doing nothing, just taking the crap we are in and accepting it. I wanted to celebrate the young people I met who were speaking out for what they believed and were brave enough to be willing to take the knocks that inevitably came at them as a result. It's about courage to stand up and do what's right. Express yourself in public and do it loud, and make this a better world for all of us to live in."
Principal Production Personnel:
Producer/Director/Writer: Louis Yansen
Co-Producer/Sound: Dominique LaPage
Associate Producer / Consulting Editor: Robert DeMaio
Music written and performed: Marco Marcuzzi
Principal Characters:
Alexis
Emcee Lynx
Tyrone
Jasmine
Joe Healingbear
With appearances by:
Tom Hayden
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Tipper Gore
Bill Bradley
Jesse Jackson
Ted Hayes
Richard Yafel
Tom McClintock
Bill Simon
Lou Sheldon
David Kalish
