An American Pastoral
An American Pastoral
| 16 November 2024 (USA)
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Elizabethtown is a picturesque little town in rural Lancaster County in Pennsylvania. But behind the supposed US-American small-town idyll lies a deep political divide, which is particularly evident at the meetings of the local school board. It all began with a dispute over a ban on books in school libraries. But in reality it is about something much more fundamental: the question of the continued existence of secular democracy. In the conservative district, the local movement of right-wing extremist Christians now holds three seats on the school board and is gradually pushing the moderate Republicans to the sidelines. Five seats are at stake in the 2023 elections. With just two more seats, the right-wing extremists would have a majority on the board and could push through a new, theocratic program for the public schools in Elizabethtown. The documentary shows the commitment of some courageous citizens to democratic, censorship-free education.

Reviews
WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.
Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.