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Knock Down the House

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A story of triumphant underdog politics that toppled the House of Representatives with four Democratic candidates running for office in the 2018 US midterm elections. Each of them is a misfit, lacking the sharp minds of the career politicians they oppose. Everyone strives to gain momentum by building impressive base moves. And they’re all women.

The film benefits from its uncanny prescientness. While not all high-profile candidates emerged victorious on election night, each is a key player in an emerging political revolution. Her passion for action, her ambition, and her generally civil attitude transcend the outcome of an election; they speak of a growing activism that could redefine institutions.

As the film opens, the obvious star is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old Bronx bartender who feels the need to step up to the high-wire of mainstream politics and fight for what she believes in. A Democratic Socialist who was an early and ardent supporter of Bernie Sanders, she eventually became the youngest person to be elected to Congress. As filmmakers followed her every step of the way—as she shook hands and shared her amazing When you feel a sense of belonging—it’s easy to see why.

Other candidates featured in the film include West Virginia single mother Paula Jean Swearengin, who is running against incumbent Senator Joe Manchin, and Amy Vilera (Amy Vilela), a champion of Medicare for All, is running for a congressional seat, while nurse Cori Bush is fighting for a seat in the United States Congress in Missouri. Initially underfunded and understaffed political nobodies, these women are clearly ready to fight an underdog battle to win their state. Each is motivated by the failure of their predecessors to enter politics and achieve meaningful change in healthcare, gun violence, and the environment.

Knock Down the House shows viewers where their passions come from, their struggle to keep their sanity amid a vicious election cycle and the real fallout their families suffer under a shattered government. But it also revived a belief in power and a commitment to a political system that should and can be a function of and for the people.

Directed by: Rachel Lears

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