One of the best things about Netflix is its absolute bevy of documentaries. Living in a not highly populated (nor educated) area, I often miss the documentaries that make the rounds unless it's a big enough deal to get a limited release (open for about 2 weeks with about 3 showtimes) in town. Some of my favorite discoveries over the years I've been on Netflix have been well built documentaries like Confessions of a Superhero and Enter Through the Gift Shop.
Now obviously, when picking a documentary, you need to pick a subject you're interested in. If you hate baseball and watch a documentary about the steroids era, you're gonna have a bad time. Pick topics you love or would like to be educated about. Pick something you have a personal connection to.
Picking through personal connection is what led me to the Education of Shelby Knox. She too, was a socially progressive Democrat in a small religious southern city. The difference between her and me is she tried to do something about it. The documentary follows her from sophomore year to senior year showing her battle for proper sexual education in schools and for LGBT rights (specifically the right for a gay/straight alliance to happen on school grounds). She fights the powers that be from school districts to religious wackjobs and never loses her conviction. Her parents, while baffled, support her and just want their daughter to be happy.
Sounds great right?
While there is some heart and power behind this, for the most part we get no exploration of Shelby and who she is. I see she's got some issues she's well educated on and willing to fight for. I see she was religious and was turned away from it from the judgement she got for doing what she believed was right. I see she's a teenage girl handling a lot of pressure and sometimes breaking down from it. We've all been there. But there was no answering of how did she become so passionate about these issues. How did she get there from her religious upbringing? How did she decide how and who to fight? What changed in her mind as she fought and was constantly rebuked? Its not out of disrespect I say this. I feel like she had enough going on to make this movie a truly powerful tool, but it falls flat. Mostly, it shows the inherent stupidity of the townsfolk Shelby rallies against. While I don't disagree with what the message of this documentary is (you can fight, you cant always win. Keep fighting), its never really delivered. The name of the girl is the title of your movie, why not focus on her rather than other's stupidity?
The best scene of the flick comes right at the end as her parents choose to stand with Shelby, even though they dont necessarily agree with the issue she's fighting for. I found her parents more fascinating than Shelby as they reminded me of my own, and they expressed some of their evolution of thinking for their daughter's stances. I want the documentary about them to be made.
So if you're bored and have any interest, you can give this one a look, but its not a mindblowing world changing documentary. Its no offense to Shelby Knox or anyone involved with these fights or their message. I just thought we could've had more of her and less "Southerners say the darndest things"
-Oz
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