Us Kids
“Us Kids” shows us the evolution of political activists, and a political movement, at a time when it seemed nothing different was going to happen. Kim A. Snyder’s film follows Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, Samantha Fuentes and others after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida as they turn tragedy into action, and upend the stagnant battle over gun control in a way that not even the Newtown tragedy did. That’s probably because it wasn’t parents or the typical activists leading the charge, but survivors themselves, who understood the power of social media, and the ability to bring people together for a single purpose in a way that earlier generations were unable to. How do we know things have changed, even if laws haven’t? The NRA is not a driving force in the upcoming presidential election for the first time in a generation, because it’s financial strength has been weakened, because of the ways the Parkland students have mobilized against it.
It usually takes a tragic event for people to really delve deep into the waters of politics, and to shape their political identity. Or a pet issue they care about more than others. One of the things we see so clearly in “Us Kids” is how survivor’s trauma is turned into action by these kids. They can’t go back to their regular lives after Parkland- they have been forever scarred by being torn from friends and family in a matter of seconds, in a situation that could have been prevented by stronger gun laws. When the shock wore off for them, they pointed to the inaction of the prior generation, and said, “enough.” I remember thinking it was inspiring and moving as it happened- Snyder’s film rekindles those feelings, and takes us front-and-center with these kids as they wade into the dangerous waters of the gun debate, one of the most polarizing political discussions of our time.
A documentary like this is chronicling a movement, and its major players, if you will. This isn’t a polemic about the larger gun culture like Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine” (which is what really started me thinking about the gun control debate), but a film where we see young people grow into their identity through a particular issue, one that will define them in these early years, but will likely branch off into different issues, as well, as they get older. Regardless of where you land on the topic, it’s inspiring to see them grow more assured, and keeping the reasons they started their activism in their sights, as they work through that first year after the event that would change their lives forever. It’s worth your time to watch for yourself.
**”Us Kids” will be opening at Alamo Drafthouse Virtual Cinemas on Friday.**
