The Revolution Generation

Directors Joshua Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell did an incredible job with The Revolution Generation: How Millennials Can Save America and the World. Through the years millennials have been called everything from lazy to selfish. Over the course of this film I was amazed at how much I didn't know about millennials. The Revolution Generation opens your eyes to many things that before watching you wouldn't even be open to knowing. Getting Michelle Rodriguez to narrate was an inspired choice. As a millennial and woman she is a part of the story they are telling in the documentary. The Revolution Generation is all about reclaiming a nation's lost voice. The most interesting part of the film is how the Tickells are able to create a powerful dynamic between old and new information. Having information thrown at you can seem tedious but, The Revolution Generation finds a way that makes people want to learn more about each topic. They were also able to find relatability in adding in familiar faces like AOC, Shailene Woodley, and Corbin Bleu. Millennials know these faces, they trust these faces. These are the things that make a film relatable for an audience. When you go see a movie you want to be able to relate to it in some way. For documentaries adding in faces your target audience will know make that possible. The Revolution Generation makes sure to put an emphasis on the need for a spark to ignite change in today's society. Leaving the theater will make you feel like you could be that spark for yourself or someone else.

In this new age of dark and disturbing documentaries, Joshua and Rebecca Tickell stray from this and provide viewers with optimistic and powerful viewing experiences. Their new film, Revolution Generation: How Millennials Can Save America and the World, is no exception. This is not just a film about millennials and the misconceptions behind them; it is a live-time documentation of the restructuring of the world. What do I mean by this? Well, according to the film, social, political, and historical change is coming and it is being propagated by millennials. Characterized by the "Hero" archetype by the Strauss-Howe Generational Theory, millennials are predicted to be the protector generation to be succeeded by Generation Z as the "Artist" generation which will bring progression after the Hero has conquered. I thoroughly enjoyed the wide range of areas covered in the film. From social change to environmental advocacy to political takeover to technological advancement, millennials have proved the necessity for youthful voices. The film also includes many notable faces such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Shailene Woodley, and Michelle Rodriguez to prove just how influential millennials have been when given a platform for social advocacy. As a young adult not only did I feel inspired by the documentary, but I felt heard. I definitely recommend this film!

The Revolution Generation: How Millennials Can Save America and the World directed by Josh and Rebecca Tickell, is an eye-opening piece of art that gives viewers an insightful view into who will shape the future. The documentary does a great job at educating viewers about the present state of politics, while simultaneously looking to the future and using information from the past. The main focus is, of course, millennials, and what their role in this future is. By using historical analysis to break down the negative connation the word 'millennial' has, the directors effectively replace it with a more empowering and positive view of millennials. Various clips are shown in which millennials are actively fighting and putting themselves in adverse positions all for the support of their prospective causes. Most notably, Shailene Woodley is seen getting arrested for protesting the North Dakota Pipeline. With a passionate narration by Michelle Rodriguez, viewers can connect to the words being said and really gain a better knowledge of all the topics discussed. Seeing celebrities use their voices for the causes they choose to support is an inspirational behavior which was wisely placed in this movie to show people from all backgrounds can support other people from different backgrounds.

The Revolution Generation: How Millennials Can Save America and the World, like the youth movements they depict, is unapologetic, bombastic, and impactful. Directors Josh and Rebecca Tickell of Kiss the Ground once again capture the urgency of our societal situation in another call to action, a loud siren demanding attention towards this world's grave injustices and the young people fighting against them. The extended adolescence of millennials has cultivated their negative stereotype of being immature and inactive - which the Tickells prove cannot be further from the truth. Their responses to these claims are explicated with cogent references to historical trends and sociological tendencies. They conclude that millennials react to their crumbling world in the most natural way imaginable. The youth's reaction could even be called extraordinary as they take the initiative to fight for racial, economic, and gender equality under the global threat of climate change. The commanding voice of the people is embodied by Michelle Rodriguez's narration and echoed by the many prominent interviewees such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Corbin Bleu, and Shailene Woodley. By the end of the film, all the members of this great chant are working together to motivate the young viewership to join them in their organizations to work towards a better future.

Increasingly topical and impressively in-depth with its research, analysis, and documentation of the world of activism and the negative stigmas that surround the millennial generation that holds major numbers within it, the Revolution Generation: How Millennials Can Save America and the World delivers on a film that both empowers and educates its viewers. Directing team Joshua Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell seek to put an explanation to the common and tired stereotypes that claim millennials to be lazy or entitled and do so by confronting the sociological perceptions that shape the personas and interactions of each generation, commenting on the financial and political crises of the 21st century that have put many within the millennial generation in debt or states of pessimism towards society. Interesting enough on its own, the Tickell's go beyond this to document the astonishing and inspiring amount of millennials who refute these claims, specifically those who have given themselves and their voices to activist causes and political spheres to better shape the world themselves, no longer willing to wait for their older generations to fix their own messes. It's not just a documentary that advocates for the significance of the millennial generation, but it is one that seeks to highlight the human desire to help one another and improve the lives of future generations, desires that represent the millennial generation tenfold. Speaking with millennial political and activist leaders such as Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Shailene Woodley, Chase Iron Eyes, Michelle Rodriguez, who strongly and passionately narrates the film, and many more, Revolution Generation keeps an attentive and dedicated focus and appreciation to its subject matter, holding the weighty subjects of generational divides and social justice in the respect and care they need. This film is wonderful for those interested in activist documentaries but is even better for those who wish to learn more about the systemic and sociological conditions that shape the lives and minds of a generation, something that is as fascinating as it is thought-provoking.