A Documentary On Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Coming To Netflix, So Get The Popcorn
You're going to have to put You and Bird Box back on your Netflix watch list because there's something really interesting coming to the platform that seems worth watching. It's a film that gives a closer look at rising political stars such as the progressive New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (yes, the name that's likely been all over your social media feed for months now). If you don't know her story, this Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez documentary coming to Netflix details her rise to political stardom.
On Thursday, Feb. 7, the streaming giant announced via statement that it had purchased the award-winning Sundance documentary directed by Rachel Lears, which is titled Knock Down the House and features the campaign stories of progressive candidates such as Ocasio-Cortez, as well as Cori Bush, Amy Vilela, and Paula Jean Swearengin.
“At a moment of historic volatility in American politics, Knock Down the House follows these four women as they decide to fight back despite having no political experience, setting themselves on a grassroots journey that will change their lives and their country forever,” Netflix said in a press release.
The statement continues:
When tragedy struck her family in the midst of the financial crisis, Bronx-born Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had to work double shifts in a restaurant to save her home from foreclosure. After losing a loved one to a preventable medical condition, Amy Vilela didn't know what to do with the anger she felt about America's broken health care system. Cori Bush was drawn into the streets when the police shooting of an unarmed black man brought protests and tanks into her neighborhood. Paula Jean Swearengin was fed up with watching her friends and family suffer and die from the environmental effects of the coal industry.
I don't know about you, but I'm sold. Just need to know whose Netflix password I can borrow to watch...
But in all seriousness, it does seem like this is really going to be something. Ocasio-Cortez even made a surprise appearance via a video call after the film premiered at Sundance in late January, per The Wrap. She told the audience of the film,
I’m so glad that this moment for all four of us was captured and documented – not just for the personal meaning of it but for everyday people to see that yes, this is incredibly challenging, yes, the odds are long, but yes, that it’s worth it.
If you've been living under a rock since early 2018, Ocasio-Cortez was working as a bartender in New York when she pulled together a grassroots campaign and defeated 10-term Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-New York) in the June primary election. Months later in November 2018, she won in her bid for New York's 14th District, making her the youngest woman to join the U.S. House of Representatives at the age of 29. She ran on a progressive platform that included a $15 minimum wage, universal Medicare, free college for all, and the abolition of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which seemed to resonate with voters because she beat Republican challenger Anthony Pappas by a landslide. She earned a stunning 78 percent of votes, while Pappas earned 13.8, per The New York Times.
Her charisma and her burning passion for change have made her a phenomenon, earning the praise of stars like Chrissy Teigen (who recently invited her to a pizza party, BTW) and politicians such as Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), who told Politico that he aspires to be the conservative Ocasio-Cortez.
She's really got quite the story, so what I'm saying is that you might want to tune in. Stay tuned for a release date.
