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The First Step (2021)

Van Jones is each of the following:

  • Politician

  • Activist

  • Trump Hater

  • Trump Supporter

  • American

The First Step is a documentary that showcases each of these aspects of Jones on his journey toward ensuring that The First Step Act, an act geared toward prison reform, is passed and the United States becomes a more inclusive and more effective place. As Jones navigates the challenging political landscape, viewers get an inside look at his process and everything that he had to do on his journey toward success.


The First Step is open and honest about what it is and what it wants to be–it refuses to pull any punches. That level of honesty, where it’s willing to call itself out throughout its entirety, is welcoming–and it makes this documentary powerful and enjoyable.

We’re coming to a time in politics where we are significantly blurring the lines between politicians and the rest of the population. To a degree this is great: it appears that they see and hear us more clearly, they are comfortable enough to have both formal and informal conversations with anyone and everyone, and they are very much a representation of the people that voted for them. On the flip side, however, there’s a level of comfortability and familiarity that almost shouldn’t exist. Some politicians seem too laissez faire, and that concerns me. Why am I mentioning this? Well, I think that The First Step may be the first film that accurately expresses these ideas, and it allows viewers to see both sides of the topic in question.


This is a scary documentary. After listening to many of the individuals on screen–it’s scary to think that this country, and everyone in it, is at their mercy. What this represents within the documentary, however, is that Writer Chris L. Jenkins and Director Brandon Kramer, while doing their best to express their point of view, refuse to force an agenda on viewers. There are times throughout The First Step when individuals praise Donald Trump and the things that he did while in office to fight for reform. You’d be hard pressed to find a documentary, or anything else for that matter, that praises the forty-fifth president–and this is the best example of how Jenkins and Kramer aim to be fair, open, and honest throughout the entirety of The First Step.


Like any political documentary, The First Step has the potential to be polarizing and divisive–but this team works its ass off to make sure that viewers get the truth, not just pieces of a political agenda. The First Step is, in many ways, a step in the right direction–aiming for honesty and reform in more ways than one. While Van Jones was a name I was familiar with, the full scope of his political prowess, and all that he’s done for this country has eluded me until I watched The First Step, and as a result of this groundbreaking documentary, Jones is officially on my radar, and a series of my thoughts on some pretty important political issues have come into question (and to a degree those questions are answered). I’m still able to form my own opinion–but I’m given every side of the argument, and not just what others want me to hear. It’s incredibly difficult to turn me on to a political documentary, but The First Step is, again, a step in the right direction.


Directed by Brandon Kramer.


Written by Chris L. Jenkins.


Starring Van Jones, Karen Bass, Cory Booker, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Kellyanne Conway, etc.


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10


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