Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Girls State’ on Apple TV+, a Vital and Necessary Follow-up Documentary to ‘Boys State’

Girls State (now streaming on Apple TV+) arrives four years after Boys State and, well, that’s the big issue in microcosm, isn’t it? In 2020, Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss released the latter documentary, for which they traveled to Texas to document Boys State, a weeklong political “camp” of sorts where high-schoolers form a mock government, including electing a governor and selecting a supreme court (the program takes place in every state but Hawaii, backed by the American Legion). Now the filmmakers follow up with a look at Girls State in Missouri, which, for the first time ever, took place at the same time on the same campus as Boys State – and before we even begin to compare and contrast the corresponding programs, the subjects of Girls State do exactly that. The result is a fascinating and engaging examination of current American politics, in microcosm.

GIRLS STATE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: The first rule of Girls State: Do not compare it to Boys State. That’s an actual guideline spoken by Girls State counselors, and of course it doesn’t sit well with the more enlightened attendees (which is many of them). The film introduces us to some of its key subjects, and we’ll get into that in a minute, but an early standout moment puts us on the bus with both boys and girls, and as the boys perform hoot-along vintage rap hits, the camera captures a girl rolling her eyes with annoyance. A bit later, we watch a massive assembly of girls performing an incredibly corny glee-club sing-along complete with choreographed jazz-handsy gesticulating, which prompts one of the reluctant participants to quip, “If the boys don’t have to do this, I’ll be pissed.” Note: The film doesn’t definitely answer the question, but the overwhelming implication here is, they absolutely don’t have to do this. The boys also aren’t subject to dress code rules Girls Staters must adhere to, and the girls aren’t allowed to mingle with the boys or go anywhere without a buddy because, you know, it’s for their own protection. 

As the inequality narrative quickly bubbles up from the subtext to become text, and it’s established that this Girls State happens in the summer of 2022 just days before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade – pushing abortion to the forefront of discussion – we meet our principal subjects. Emily can’t list all her extracurriculars on two hands, knows she’s going to run for President of the United States in 2040 and is absolutely running for Girls State governor; she also repeatedly labels herself conservative, and knows that puts her in the minority, but she also stumps for bipartisanship. Faith is one of Emily’s gov competitors, and reveals that she used to align with her “alt-right” family before adopting a more progressive stance. Nisha is admittedly introverted, and owns her lack of confidence socially, but she sees this as an opportunity to be a less overtly outspoken contributor as a member of the Supreme Court. Maddie is another Supreme Court contender, and despite being in competition, she and Nisha quickly become tight friends; “I’m not going to dislike you because of your political beliefs,” Maddie says, not of Nisha, but of people in general.

There are others, notably Tochi, a daughter of Nigerian immigrants who rides her impressively confident demeanor towards becoming Girls State’s attorney general, and shares how she might just end up being the first Black person some of her fellow Girls State attendees have ever interacted with; and Cecilia, a vibrant extrovert who’s running for gov on an outspoken feminist platform. Races heat up, and candidates use Monopoly money to buy crayons and scissors and posterboard to make campaign materials. The Supreme Court is selected and faces its first case. Girls grouse about how they wish Girls State was more focused on legit politics, like Boys State is – and we cut to the boys having robust debates about topical issues. “I bet (the boys) aren’t talking about crop tops,” one of the girls snipes. The gov candidates give their stump speeches. And Emily decides her journalism project will address the disparity between Girls State and Boys State. That first rule really needs to go away, doesn’t it?

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Maybe among the Girls State participants is the next Katie Fahey, the young woman and grassroots politico who successfully campaigned for gerrymandering reform in Michigan, and was profiled in uplifting doc Slay the Dragon.

Performance Worth Watching: It’s kind of a cop out to avoid singling out one of the worthy subjects of the film in lieu of the filmmakers themselves, but frankly, without McBaine and Moss’ visual presentation and shrewd consideration of the material – which includes selecting which girls to profile and follow – this might be a significantly less engaging film. 

Memorable Dialogue: Emily wrestles with both sides of the same ideology: “Everybody nowadays is told that we need to really empower each other as girls, which is true. But a trap that we risk falling into is, kind of perpetuating the idea that you’re at a disadvantage because you’re a woman.”

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: Girls State illustrates the growing concern that the program, despite being noble-minded, is more about rudimentary first-wave feminism than making legitimate progress in the political arena. Amidst countless displays of you-go-girl chants, the growing suspicion is, if the girls themselves were running this, there’d be less emphasis on female bonding and a stronger focus on, you know, actual politics. To be fair, they do engage with real-world issues – the Supreme Court exercise addresses the privacy debate surrounding mandated pre-abortion counseling – but the winner in the governor’s race nails it when she asserts that Girls State prepares girls for sexism rather than combatting sexism.

McBaine and Moss’ naturalistic, observational filmmaking style suits the subject perfectly; their fly-on-the-wall footage and one-on-one interviews are keenly balanced and equally revelatory. They drop in a it-was-about-the-friends-we-made-along-the-way subplot – Nisha and Maddie became quite tight during Girls State – that’s warm and touchy-feely, but also affirms two vital notions: Despite their differing opinions and competition for the same Supreme Court spot, they can absolutely still be close friends. And greater collective feminist support needs a foundation in individual support; it reflects the idea that girls running for governor need to be able to talk to a large crowd as effectively as they relate to people face-to-face.

The filmmakers also chose the perfect “lead character” in Emily, who’s fascinatingly complex. She repeatedly labels herself as a conservative Christian. She studies journalism. She truly understands that sharing and listening to one’s opinion is more valuable than trying to change someone’s opinion. In one terrific moment, she asks someone if they have any actual ideas instead of rhetoric and generalizations. (She might’ve realized too late that her journalism project would’ve jibed nicely with her run for governor had the thought occurred to her.) Spending time with her forces us to consider not just diversity of political viewpoints, but the diversity of thought within the individual. She’s the key figure to reflect how Girls State only reinforces women’s diminished status in politics; does the program disenfranchise them or enlighten and empower them to change it? Either way, it’s an education.

Our Call: Girls State is a smart, entertaining and quietly vital documentary. STREAM IT. 

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.