15 Best Documentaries Of 2020

A feature doc about a group of precocious American teen boys forming a mock government (and taking the whole thing awfully seriously) sounds like it could be disgusting. Sinisterly ambitious kids with delusions of grandeur, a portent of things to come for an already tumultuous nation, or just a seriously annoying prospect.

And yes, there’s some of this. Set at the renowned American Legion Boys State (a representative government programme that many high flying US politicians passed through as youths), we get to see some scarily switched on kids, scheming and faking to get themselves elected.

But we see a lot of hope along the way, particularly in the forms of Stephen and Rene, two boys who refuse to stoop to name calling and personal attacks in their bid to triumph in mock elections.

The Boys State project is ultimately reflective of society at large. There are weird kids, venal and tricky kids who have no issue delivering cruel attacks on one another, but there are good kids, too, bold kids with empathy beyond their years. It’s a fascinating look at a political system that, one way or another, will forever keep on churning.