Apple TV+ Review: ‘Girls State’ is an Uplifting Glimpse of the Future

Would the world be a better place if young people made decisions, or at least shaped the laws, for everyone else? There are obviously issues of maturity and a lack of life experience that come into play and could send everything off a cliff, but there’s something to youthful optimism and a tendency to not yet be disgruntled that feels like it could extract positivity to be applied to society. In a follow-up to filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine’s Boys State, a large group of politically-minded and highly-motivated teenage girls gather in Missouri for Girls State, a fascinating examination of the next generation and what it might mean for the United States as a whole.

Girls State begins with a tongue-in-cheek montage of famous political photographs, circling in red the one woman present in each of them to show just how traditionally male-dominated that space has been. Fortunately, what comes next is a direct rebuke to that: a bright and inspiring introduction to many of the attendees at the week-long Girls State, which brings together teenage girls from around the state of Missouri for a series of mock elections, campaigns, and simulated government sessions. They prepare platforms, make connections to attempt to garner votes, and see the effects of their efforts play out in this controlled environment that allows them to find and share their voices.

It’s revealing and startling to hear what some of these subjects say when they speak to the camera. One participant acknowledges that she’s from a small town and all of her friends are “majorly pro-life” but that’s not how she feels, while someone else points out that St. Louis is a center of liberal ideas in an otherwise very red state. One outspoken attendee shares that she still likes listening to other people even though she’s a conservative, which she says is a common misconception. Everyone has a different perspective, but the point of this week is for people to talk to each other, which they absolutely do, a refreshing sentiment in a highly divisive real-world society.

It’s affirming to see two teenagers calmly engaging in what could easily turn into a shouting match when it’s clear that they are so far apart on their opinions but instead celebrating that they get to talk politics, something that isn’t typical for them back home. When one volunteers that she probably won’t own an AR-15 assault rifle but likes the idea that she could, she gets expected pushback for adding that she would raise children to know there’s a “don’t touch policy.” But they’re having a conversation and not cutting each other off, instead reveling in the chance to really dig into an issue from opposing sides of the debate with someone else who’s just as passionate about it.

While this film would be sufficiently interesting and engaging if it was just to focus on this large group of girls getting ready to change the world before they’re even legally allowed to vote, it necessarily incorporates what’s referenced in its opening credits. Seeing the nearby Boys State program prompts questions about what access and funding it receives that Girls State doesn’t, the ultimate example of how, even in a simulated and controlled environment, there are still tremendous gaps in equality of the sexes. That this film’s events take place around the leak of the Supreme Court opinion that would soon after repeal Roe v. Wade only gives it added emotional ammunition, harnessed very well by the filmmakers in their productive and enduring decision to allow these young people to speak for themselves. This is a stirring documentary that shows the power of politics put to use in the right way and the value of a cooperative mindset when dealing with sensitive subjects.          

Movie Rating: 8/10

Awards Buzz: Its predecessor made the shortlist and then went on to be snubbed at the Oscars three years ago. Can this film do what the first one couldn’t? It’s likely, but the documentary field tends to leave out major fare each year despite popular support.