God Save Texas

Gripping & touching telling of the failures of the system and cultural practices that aren't just offensive but continuing ruination of the impoverished.

Told in three different episodes, each taking a personal approach to telling real stories about their experiences while living in the state of Texas. Richard Linklater and the Texas Prison system is episode one, Alex Stapleton takes on the Texas Oil industry in episode two, Iliana Sosa tackles the fluidity of life in El Paso's border.

It's not a politically driven documentary, yes it does mention political affiliations because of context but the facts are represented as opposed to political objective.

In my opinion, the filmmakers attempt to open the conversation about the topics that too many turn a blind eye. If only so that we can begin that conversation.

I'm doing something I rarely ever do: I'm writing a review of a limited series (documentary, in this case) after just the first of three episodes. Why? Because the installments are each by a different Texas director, and the first is one of my favorite directors of recent decades, Richard Linklater, with whose work I am very intimately familiar (from 1993's Dazed and Confused to 2014's Boyhood). He grew up with a strong, single Mom in the prison town of Huntsville, Texas, in which more condemned inmates have been executed than any other town anywhere in these United States. About which many Texans still enamored with frontier justice would say, "Hail and Bravo!" Others explain that humans don't get to play God with the lives of other humans on Earth! Whatever you may believe, it's fascinating stuff. I'll return to update this post once I've seen it all.