I Loved ‘John Lewis: Good Trouble’
Your mileage may vary.
I was heartbroken when I heard the news of John Lewis's death last year. I remember being so devastated that this icon of the civil rights movement and influential legislator had passed away. He was the moral compass in Congress and his death was incredibly significant.
John Lewis: Good Trouble takes us into his life and over sixty years of his working for the rights of all people. And there’s so much of his story that I just didn’t know. While I loved this film, I know there will be plenty of people who won’t enjoy it. It’s not a particularly exciting documentary, so if you’re looking for some panache, this will not be for you.
One of the reasons why I enjoyed this documentary so much is that we just spent time with John Lewis. There were moments where we just spent time in his house with him, living his normal life. I would be content to watch plenty more footage of him just reading the paper as he ate his breakfast — is that weird? Probably, but I don’t care.
What stood out to me most is the creative imagination of John Lewis and others fighting for civil rights in the 60s. This documentary helps me imagine, for just a few moments what that might have been like. These young people were making it all up as they went. They were laying out the blueprint for peaceful protests that we…
