Slay the Dragon

Slay the Dragon is an educational film that allowed me to learn more about gerrymandering. As someone who enjoys politics and social justice, I had an interesting experience with this movie. At the beginning of the movie, I knew little to nothing about gerrymandering. However, by the end, I knew quite a lot about this topic. I was educated, but I cannot say I was thoroughly entertained. It is hard to make a documentary film about gerrymandering that is fun and intriguing for the masses. Watching the film wasn't a tedious process, so there's that.

Slay the Dragon follows the story of a young woman, Katie Fahey living in Michigan, who decides to make a change by rallying a group together to create a proposition preventing gerrymandering in Michigan. Gerrymandering is the ability for politicians or powerful government officials to change state lines and districts in order to prevent certain candidates from winning votes from specific groups of people. Simultaneously, we learn about the history of gerrymandering and how it was used to create our current political climate. Gerrymandering was used by democrats in the 80s and now it's mainly used by Republican politicians. Throughout the course of the film, we see Katie's trials and tribulations as she continues to fight for what she believes in - helping make the voting process fair.

Slay the Dragon is an inspiring film to watch, especially as a young girl interested in social justice, politics, and changing the world through the process of lawmaking. Katie's journey was a rollercoaster and her passion is extremely admirable. It is satisfying to see her story play out in this documentary. People like Katie give me hope for the future and remind me that anyone is capable of making change, no matter how big or small. The film is also very well produced. The only negative aspect is that it didn't fully capture my attention all the time. A lot of the film showcases repetitive statistics. I understand that it is difficult to make a documentary of this nature. Although I was not fully captivated, I respect the hard work and effort put into making this film. I learned a lot about gerrymandering and feel inspired and reassured, so the filmmakers accomplished something positive.

Slay the Dragon is loaded with positive messages. I give it 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for kids ages 12 to 18, due to some language.

Reviewed by Ella L., KIDS FIRST! reviewer