The First Step

This film had all the aspects of an engaging documentary. There's some good action and nail biting suspense with Van Jones and team trying to archive their seemingly impossible goal. There are also universal themes as Van explores his early life and serves as a imperfect leader on a hero's journey to tryIng to make a positive chance against all odds. There are so many problems with the criminal justice system and this film thoughtfully explores that while capturing visually stunning backdrops in DC, South Central LA, and West Virginia. This story mirrors the high emotional stakes of a country that is currently in turmoil, and highlights the people who are working to hard to try to make things better.

Absolutely amazing. Wonderfully produced and incredibly high-value content. The director and producers of the film captured the essence of Van Jones' efforts to bring this country together through rehabilitation, redemption, and restorative justice to a "t". A fabulous watch the whole way through. You will undoubtedly come away from this experience enlightened and inspired. Everyone should see this film. This is how documentaries should be made!

In a time of incredible political deadlock, The First Step shows what it's like to find a middle ground, along with the benefits and the consequences of compromise. The film not only gives viewers an inside look into the complexity and messiness of the legislative process, but it also is a moving portrait of Van Jones and his evolution as a social justice advocate.

While there have been numerous political documentaries in recent decades, many get caught up in partisan bias. And thats where the First Step succeeds, doing its best to bring the viewer in without forcing a specific perspective, leaving the audience to recognize that nothing is complete and progress is an ever evolving.

This is a beautiful, moving, insightful look at how the sausage really gets made in these polarized times. Van Jones is the central figure, but this not hagiography. The story is much larger, and the filmmakers' ambitions far greater than simply profiling an individual. They have their camera trained on the divisions that have come to characterize not just our politics but our very sense of self -- and also the resounding good that can come from transcending those divisions.

The film is not at all didactic or bombastic. It's a gentle film, filled with empathy, humor, and, most crucially, optimism. With the remarkable access the filmmakers got to the White House, and particularly to Jared Kushner, they could have taken a mocking, flippant tone, but they do not -- Kushner, as much as Jones, is depicted by the film as a human being first, and at least in this instance, pushing for change that will deliver real help to thousands of Americans. The same open-hearted view of people and politics is on full display in the sequences showing Jones brings together black West coast activists and white West Virginian Trump supporters. Commonalities quickly override differences, friendships and mutual purpose form, and we get to see -- for once -- Red America and Blue America actually talk to each other.

This film is, if not an antidote, at least a tonic for the daily tribal warfare that defines us. Do yourself a favor and watch it.

I think the filmmakers did an excellent job of capturing this time period, the struggles that Van faced internally and externally, and most of all capturing so many key human moments. I can't imagine how difficult this story was to tell with all the footage and all the moments and they grabbed just enough of each moment to touch us without going too far afield.

More importantly, the filmmakers remind us of how important it is to work across the isle no matter how difficult. Are there problems with how it was done, maybe, but if Trump is re-elected or someone of a similar bent in 2024, we will all be looking back at this film trying to figure out how to make lemonade out of a terrible situation. With gerrymandering, massive voter supression and the fillibuster we may very well have a Repulican back in office in 2024. We need to not only organize to stop this and put forth an agenda that helps all Americans, but we also ned to have a back up plan which this film gives us insight into.