FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
THIS DIVIDED STATE
This documentary begins with these startling statistics: 75% of Utah is
Mormon, Republicans outnumber Democrats 12 to 1 in Utah County, which
includes Orem, a city with a church on almost every block. Despite this
overwhelming concentration of Mormons, the sign for the Church of Latter Day
Saints reads "Visitors Welcome." The underlying theme of the movie questions
whether or not all visitors are actually welcome.
When Brigham Young University student Steven Greenstreet learned that Utah
Valley State College had invited filmmaker Michael Moore to speak two weeks
before the 2004 presidential election, he dropped out of school, quit his
job, and headed for the college to film what would evolve into a vigorous
debate that extended way beyond campus, penetrating deeply into the
community of Orem.
Vociferous protests against Moore's speech arise, led on campus by student
Shawn Vreeland, and in the community by local millionaire and Sunday school
teacher Kay Anderson. As a result, the school invites neoconservative Fox
News pundit Sean Hannity to speak just a few days before Moore's scheduled
speech. The "Moore War" is well underway.
The film defies the assumption that there is no "blue" in Utah: just as many
students and professors welcomed Moore's visit - because they either shared
similar views or believed in the freedom of speech - as protested his visit.
As it exposes Utah's "blue," it reveals that Utah's "red" is even "redder"
than might have been imagined. "Moore should be tried for treason and
executed," yells a caller on the local public radio station.
This Divided State is a pure exposé, with no apparent driving
political agenda. The film has deeper themes than just the notion of an
ideological war, demonstrating intimately how people react when they feel
their beliefs and values are threatened. It also reveals the immortal
spirit of youth and academics - that which challenges and accepts
challenges - is alive and well in the heart of Utah. Timothy Small
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