Boys State

Every year, one thousand 17-year-old boys descend on Texas to take part in Boys State, a week-long programme that challenges them to form their own representative government. Arbitrarily assigned as Federalists or Nationalists, no matter what their personal beliefs, the teens engage in all the dramas of campaigning, from the hard scrabble for endorsement to social-media attacks and beyond. This straightforward but compelling documentary captures the process in full, from jovial start to pulse-racing climax, offering a fascinating glimpse into a sociopolitical microcosm that niftily echoes William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Of the young hopefuls, Steven Garza, the Latino son of a gas-station owner, is the standout. His soft-spoken journey through the political hall of mirrors is charted in heart-stopping detail by directors Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine. They use this insight to expertly reflect on the current state of politics, while offering a window into the minds of tomorrow's potential big American power players.