Knock Down the House” is a documentary that follows four women run in the 2018 primary elections. They are Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (a.k.a AOC), Cori Bush, Paula Jean Swearengin, and Amy Vilelain. These women are not career politicians. They are underdogs that came from a grassroots movement. I like many people grew up watching and rooting for the underdogs. Movies like Kung Fu Panda, Remember the Titian or Hidden Figures are among my favourites. They would move you and you always knew it would work out in the end. Unlike in the movies these underdogs are not guaranteed a win. Which makes their story even more bittersweet. Knock Down the House is an underdog story that you NEED to watch.

These women are connected through a grassroots movement. Unlike other candidates they refuse to take corporate money to finance their campaigns. The documentary gives us insight into why these working-class women are for election. We see how much they are risking to be able to represent people like themselves and their communities. As AOC puts it “because everyday Americans deserve to be represented by everyday Americans”. They don’t have a background or experience in politics. Far from it, Cori Bush is a registered nurse and AOC was a waitress. What drew them to politics? Why now? They are all fighting for causes close to their hearts. Amy Vilelain ran to fight for Medicaid for all. This is after her daughter’s death when she couldn’t get medical care as she didn’t have insurance. Their reasons are diverse and personal to them. They know that they can make the necessary changes for the better through politics.

“For one of us to get through, a hundred of us have to try.”

This documentary shows us the power of women and the power of community. They showed us they had personal morals that they were going to stand by even if they were at a disadvantage. The risks that we see them taking to stand up for what is right is astonishing. While I myself have little interest in politics the courage that these women have is something we should all channel in our day-to-day lives.

Knock Down The House is a must watch.  Check out the trailer here…