Netflix’s ‘Knock Down the House’ Ends in the Most Inspiring and Emotional Way

The new Netflix documentary Knock Down the House serendipitously charts Democratic darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez‘s meteoric rise to power, but it’s also about the true might of democracy. The film follows a number of other female candidates pushed into primaries by Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats, all of whom suffer loses against their establishment opponents. The cynical takeaway is that their work dismantling the corporate interests that control Washington is far from over. But Knock Down the House ends on a truly emotional high note that hammers home a deeper, more glorious truth: this country doesn’t belong to one person, or even to two parties, but to all of us.

The ending of Knock Down the House takes us five days after Ocasio-Cortez’s shocking primary win in New York City last summer. She and boyfriend Riley Roberts are visiting Washington, DC and they go to the U.S. Capitol. Ocasio-Cortez is visibly overcome with emotion, and she explains why.

“When I was a little girl, my dad wanted to go on a road trip with his buddies. I wanted to go so badly, and I begged, and I begged, and I begged, and he relented,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

“We stopped here,” she says, beginning to cry outside the Capitol steps. “[My father] pointed at the Washington Monument and he pointed at the Reflecting Pool, and he pointed at everything, and he said, ‘You know, this all belongs to us.'”

“He said, ‘This is our government. It belongs to us. So all this stuff is yours.'”

It’s a powerful message that highlights the journey Ocasio-Cortez has taken from political outsider to major power player in the last year, but it should also have incredible resonance for everyone watching the film. At least, I found myself verklempt.

What Ocasio-Cortez’s father was telling her was the truth. The Capitol isn’t some rarified palace and our capitol isn’t hallowed ground. The United States government exists to be of service to the American people. Regardless of our backgrounds, political parties, or opinions, the United States of America belongs to all of us. It’s ours. And so, as Knock Down the House asserts, anyone has the background needed to be a politician. If power belongs to everyone, everyone should feel confident to assert their power at the ballot box and in political races. It’s a beautiful and inspiring message for dark and divisive times.

Watch Knock Down the House on Netflix