What Is Democracy?

Released Jan 16, 2019

1 hr. 47 min.

Documentary

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96%

26 Reviews

Tomatometer

60%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

This reflection on democracy spans millennia and continents, from ancient Athens' groundbreaking experiment in self-government to capitalism's roots in medieval Italy, and from modern-day Greece grappling the with its financial collapse and mounting refugee crisis to the United States reckoning with its past and the growing gap between rich and poor.

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Critics Consensus

What Is Democracy? poses a question big enough for a series of films -- and still manages to answer it in consistently thoughtful and engaging fashion.

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dave d

While I appreciate what 'What is Democracy?' is trying to do there are better docs out there about certain more specific subjects that Astra Taylor tries to shoehorn into her film. For example check out "13" if you want to learn about how black people have been systematically held back from getting a fair shake. This is a highly intellectual documentary, despite an occasional person on the street talking head. It's also remarkably boring. I'm not a fan of Taylor's interjection of herself in the film, but it's not a shock. Young documentarians seem to think we care about them while not realizing that the film is from a perspective. The Herzog approach isn't my cup of tea. The individual segments can be engrossing, but the through line is the filmmaker can't seem to make out what democracy truly is and I wonder if 100 hours or 1,000,000 would be help to help her in that journey. Cornell West is his usual best. Final Score: 5.3/10

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

"What Is Democracy?" might be the most thought-provoking and important film I have ever seen. And it is quite momentous, given the political climate in the US. The title and trailer make it seem a bit cheesy, but it confronts a huge, important question. Unlike most documentaries, this one doesn't try to force a concrete conclusion upon the viewer. Rather, it illustrates the hurtles and paradoxes that democracy faces. There are some scenes I might have framed differently. But overall, I think it does a great job at getting an important conversation going.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

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Audience Member

Too vague to answer such a strong question. A more precise editing might have helped the narrative and poor location/case selection.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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Astra Taylor

Director

Astra Taylor

Actor

Cornel West

Actor

Angela Davis

Actor

Eleni Perdikouri

Actor

William J. Barber II

Actor

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What Is Democracy?: Trailer 1

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Gary Goldstein

Los Angeles Times

[A] kaleidoscopic, somewhat random, yet always involving approach to a major concept that, despite the wealth and breadth of Taylor's offerings here, feels like just the first step in surveying anew where democracy stands.

Feb 22, 2019

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Leah Pickett

Chicago Reader

[Taylor] presents an inclusive and necessary debate, asking whether democracy today really is of, by, and for the people, and if it ever was.

Feb 14, 2019

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John DeFore

Hollywood Reporter

Unfocused but consistently engaging.

Jan 16, 2019

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Cate Marquis

AWFJ.org

What is Democracy? asks that question by posing it to various people - experts in Greek history, social scientists, academics, ordinary Americans - and comes up with some startling answers.

Oct 25, 2021

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MaryAnn Johanson

AWFJ.org

Astra Taylor's examination of what might be one of the most cherished concepts of our time is bold, proudly intellectual, decidedly feminist, and, in its perhaps most incisive aspect, skeptical...

Oct 25, 2021

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Sandie Angulo Chen

AWFJ.org

What Is Democracy? is a fascinating documentary that poses a lot of thought-provoking questions and makes one wonder if we indeed live in a democracy or just thinly veiled oligarchies in slavish service to economic elites.

Oct 25, 2021

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Synopsis

This reflection on democracy spans millennia and continents, from ancient Athens' groundbreaking experiment in self-government to capitalism's roots in medieval Italy, and from modern-day Greece grappling the with its financial collapse and mounting refugee crisis to the United States reckoning with its past and the growing gap between rich and poor.

Director: Astra Taylor
Executive Producer: Anita Lee
Screenwriter: Astra Taylor
Distributor: Zeitgeist Films, Kino Lorber
Production Co: National Film Board of Canada
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 16, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 16, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $44.3K

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