Parents' Guide to

Slay the Dragon

By Tara McNamara, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Gerrymandering documentary is vital viewing for voters.

Movie PG-13 2020 101 minutes
Slay the Dragon Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 16+

Based on 1 parent review

age 16+

good but misleading

The recent effort by media to blame gerrymandering on one side of the aisle is laughable. A little research shows that over 90% of the most gerrymandered districts in the House are the other party.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (1):

This film about the subversion of America's democracy is timely, relevant, and urgent. In the most straightforward yet suspenseful way, directors Barack Goodman and Chris Durrance lay out how gerrymandering works, why political parties do it, and why it's tearing our country apart. For those who've done the math and can't figure out why the political power is skewed and divisive, this one's for you -- and you will be aghast. Political strategists are presented as evil geniuses, and Chris Janowski -- the brains behind the successful Republican gerrymandering effort Project REDMAP -- is proud to explain how the Republicans made sure elections would go their way.

The filmmakers try to make Slay the Dragon nonpartisan, but there's no way around it: It's calling out the GOP for manipulating and often defying the will of the people. "Red" voters may be quick to call the film a liberal conspiracy theory, but please watch it first. It's got emails, recordings, and even interviews with architects of the effort who are pretty smug about what they've pulled off. If they're willing to tell you, why wouldn't you listen? And, by following the efforts of Fahey -- a young woman with no political background or experience who impulsively thought she'd start a Facebook group to raise awareness about unfair redistricting and wound up starting a movement -- the film brings hope that America's youth will be able to undo the damage that's been done.

Movie Details

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