Ivan Radford | On 07, Apr 2024

Director: Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine
Cast: Emily Worthmore, Nisha Murali, Faith Glasgow, Tochi Ihekona, Cecilia Bartin, Brooke Taylor
Certificate: TBC

“I’m a little tired of the fluff.” That’s the sound of girls getting a platform and a voice in Girls State, Apple TV+’s new documentary. The film is a follow-up to 2020’s fantastic Boys State, which saw directors Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine observe an annual scheme in America that lets young people spend a week immersed in a mock government, building its components from scratch. Now, they’ve done the same for Girls State, which plays out at the same time each year – specifically, the 2022 Girls State in Missouri, which for the first time unfolded on the same campus as Boys State.

The first movie was a remarkable snapshot of democracy in action, capturing the idealism of youth as well as the backstabbing and manipulation of the political system. It was gripping, surprising, funny and exciting to see a new generation of male political minds being formed, even with ambition and masculinity looming in the background as potentially harmful pressures. Girls State is a brilliant counterpart to that, exploring not only the challenges of entering the still-male-dominated world of politics as a woman, but also the hope, strength and inspiring potential of a young generation of politicians fired up and ready to have their say and make a difference.

Again, Moss and McBaine smartly sit back and simply observe the events of the week, then do an incredible job of editing the gargantuan amount of footage to tease out the personalities of each participant with compassion, humour and increasingly complex layers.

Front and centre is Emily, a blonde pastor’s daughter who is trying to work out how to be true to her own values – Christian and conservative – in an apparently liberal crowd. She announces herself and her intention to run for president in 2040 in the same breath, but what might have been a stereotypical portrayal of a condident, determined young adult is a thoughtful, sincere and endearing tale of someone attempting to live up to her own expectations. She runs for governor at Girls State, but as part of her campaign takes the time to talk to – and listen to – as many people as possible, something that everyone around her acknowledges others wouldn’t bother to do.

Seemingly at the opposite end of the confidence spectrum is Nisha, an Indian-American academic high-flyer who is super-shy. But as she campaigns for a supreme court seat, she pushes herself and comes out of her shell – and her friendly rivalry with the more outspoken Brooke is a bond fuelled by tension as much as camraderie, with Nisha not letting herself become discouraged at any stage. There’s also Tochi, a Nigerian-American district attorney nominee who is emboldened by the lack of microaggressions she has to navigate – although she bats away one request to say something in Igbo with a steely politeness that you immediately hope she will get to deploy in a future political career. Also leaving an impression is Cecilia, who delivers a rousing speech on the frustrations of Girls State’s restrictive dress code.

That frustration becomes increasingly clear as the week unfolds, because there are substantial differences between Boys State and Girls State – and the brilliance of this film arriving after Boys State is that we can clearly see that for ourselves. Where Boys State is highly funded and treated with seriousness, Girls State is a more informal affair, with what seems to be less of a structure. The opening session sees the participants all taught the “Girls State song”, which includes cheerleader-like actions. “If the Boys State don’t have to do this…” mutters one delegate to another.

This looser approach to Girls State is ironically accompanied by absurdly regressive policies, including the girls always having to go outside with a buddy for safety and them having to make sure they’re covered up by their clothing. This is in spite of the fact that the real world, and its politics, have never been so high-stakes for women – the 2022 Girls State week takes place just after the overturning of Roe v Wade. And so, once the week gets going, it’s no surprise that the focus for a mock supreme court case tackles the state law requiring a woman who seeks an abortion to get mandatory counselling first – to what degree, they debate, does that constitute a breach of privacy?

The girls themselves are keen to make sure that everyone at the week is having this conversation and engaging with the topic – even as they disagree on what “pro-life” means from their varying perspectives and experiences. What’s repeatedly heartwarming is the way that they all seem genuinely willing to hear and share with each other, and we see how those interactions help to build their confidence and sense of self. What emerges is a stirring portrait of characters being shaped and formed by winning, losing, listening and standing up for their rights – particularly inspiring is Faith, who grew up surrounded by views close to alt-right but got older and evolved opinions of her own.

They are all astutely aware that, in a society where needing to be heard and believed is already a battle faced by women, the way that Girls State is pitched and structured isn’t fair: it teaches them to deal with sexism, rather than equip them to stop it in the first place. By the end of the week, they’re calling that out through speeches, through journalism and through each other – and that thrilling display of united strength and willingness to change things for the better of them all fills you with hope.

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