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Barry Levinson and Robert May, USA 2025
A five-part documentary series from filmmakers Barry Levinson and Robert May showcases a politically purple county, serving as a swing county, in the country’s largest swing state of Pennsylvania in “Bucks County, USA.”
This documentary features two teenagers, Evi and Vanessa, who guide the audience and explain how such a county, of national significance, has become a battleground for distrust and personal attacks regarding opposite ideals of the functionality of its school boards and their policies in the name of protecting children.
The Sundance audience is privy to the first two episodes of this devastating yet enlightening conflict: “The Outbreak” and “The Petri Dish.”
The two fourteen-year-olds living in Bucks County, Pennsylvania are best friends, despite their opposing political stances. Evi is somewhat bohemian, lively and extroverted. Vanessa loves to wear black, is wry, and an introvert. The girls, opposite in every way, relate to other community members, but their aim is to work to understand opposing views regarding this educational battle. Each acknowledges that this task is difficult and emotionally draining.
Levinson and May note, “While the girls’ parents are adversaries, Evi and Vanessa, rise above politics, allowing their differing views to strengthen rather than harm their friendship.” A lesson to be learned, but will adults in the battleground that the Bucks County has become take note from teenagers and be “the adults in the room”? Levinson and May are like a “fly on the wall” to observe and explore this adage. The most impressive thing is going on the journey with Evi and Vanessa. Their maturity is something to be proud of as they represent our up-and-coming young generation who desire to agree to disagree, live in a democracy, and desire a country where there is freedom and justice for all.
Levinson and May add, “With each passing day, the division in our nation seems to approach a breaking point. Harassment, intolerance, hate crimes and attempted assassinations, is where we find ourselves today and more violence could emerge if we don't act soon.” Concluding, “Our episodic venture, “Bucks County, USA”, is an effort to initiate that dialogue. The series explores whether this community can follow Evi and Vanessa’s example to find common humanity in ‘the other side.’ Can Bucks County—and America as a whole—break the cycle and find a new path forward?”
