Review from The Front Porch by Professor Vincent Piturro

A black single mother running for City Council. A longtime, revered, community activist running for City Council. A LatinX woman from one of the most polluted neighborhoods in the U.S. running for City Council. An Afro-Latina running for mayor in a big city that has never elected a woman to that office. This was Denver, 2018.

The feature documentary, directed by Denverite Rebekah Henderson, follows these four women as they run for office with the hope of not only making change in the city, but also with the intention of making history. The women, in order, are Shayla Richard, Veronica Barela, Candi CdeBaca, and Dr. Lisa Calderón. We live with each of these candidates as they negotiate the long and difficult road from filing their papers, to election night, to runoffs, to the highs and lows of the final results. One never makes it to election day, two others come oh-so-close, and one finally wins her runoff and becomes a City Councilwoman. It is tense, heartbreaking, and wonderful.

This should be mandatory viewing for everyone in Denver before election night; perhaps it should be mandatory viewing for everyone before any election anywhere. Henderson has intimate access to all of the women, and the personal interviews, the “backstage pass,” the stage speeches, and the colorful personalities of everyone add up to an engaging, interesting, and sometimes depressing story. We see why they are running and how difficult that run is, including the financial, personal, and professional toll it takes. All along, Henderson never lets us forget the stakes.

Screenings:

Wednesday, Nov. 10: 7pm at the Sie Film Center

Friday, Nov. 12: 4pm at the Sie Film Center

Also available on the Virtual Platform