Barry Levinson on Capturing America’s Political Divide in Doc Series ‘Bucks County’: ‘This Is Not a Series About Heroes and Villains’

by

Towards the end of 2021, Barry Levinson and Robert May had a clear goal: to create a documentary that explored America’s deep-rooted political divide. A captivating episode from The New York Times podcast “The Daily,” focusing on school board conflicts in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, sparked their interest. They decided to travel to this tranquil county, situated within the U.S.’s most significant swing state. Upon arrival, they discovered a fair share of political strife, but more importantly, two 14-year-old friends named Evi and Vanessa who shared an unlikely bond despite their differing political views.

Eventually, the teenagers were going to be the principal focus of the five-part documentary series by Levinson and May titled “Bucks County, USA.” This series investigates if a community is capable of emulating Evi and Vanessa’s skills in finding human qualities within those who are perceived as different.

The first two episodes of the series will screen on Jan. 28 at the Sundance Film Festival.

As reported by both directors, this documentary series presents an objective, neutral examination of a deeply fragmented society, ensuring that no particular perspective is favored or editorialised in the narrative.

According to Levinson, the focus isn’t on creating a narrative involving heroes and villains. Instead, it delves into the events themselves, exploring the reasons behind this contentious issue, and understanding why it has grown so complex that reasonable individuals struggle to find common ground.

EbMaster conversed with Levinson and May concerning “Bucks County, USA” prior to the series’ debut at Sundance.

What led you to center the series around two teenagers?
May: Initially, we spoke with adults because they are the ones who can’t get along. Our initial focus was on school boards due to the intense hostility arising from these meetings, which then escalated within the community. However, we soon understood that adults were all arguing over their children. This led us to contemplate interviewing children instead.

The parents of Evi and Vanessa, both involved in the show, have a strained relationship because they hold conflicting political views. How were you able to persuade them to allow you to document their children’s lives over the past three years?

Initially, Vanessa’s father preferred to handle things alone as he served as the family representative. However, after careful consideration, both parents consented to let their two children participate in the movie. Interestingly, these families were progressive without realizing it, allowing their kids to be close friends. Despite the fact that the parents didn’t see eye-to-eye, this friendship flourished and so did their involvement in the project. I find it admirable how they supported their children’s participation despite their own differences.

You started filming in 2022. When did the production conclude?

Currently, we have several more days for production left. The remaining episodes are still being built. They’ll be completed by the spring season.

We’ve got a few days left to produce, and the rest of the series is still in progress. It’s set to be finished come the springtime.

Barry, you have made a few other documentaries. What drew you to this one?

In my childhood, my first cousin resided just a stone’s throw away from me. Our bond was strong, almost like that of brothers. During the Kennedy-Nixon election, [my cousin] supported Nixon, whereas I backed Kennedy. Despite our political differences, they didn’t create any rift between us. Translating this to the context of this [film], while the circumstances are distinct, there are similarities. The question arises: Why can’t we maintain differing viewpoints without turning into adversaries? With this series, we aimed to delve into this issue without advocating for any particular side. Our goal is simply to depict how a once harmonious community can fracture and find itself at odds. We are not seeking to present any perspective other than this is what transpired, and this is the trajectory it followed.

A lot of exciting events take place in the first couple of episodes of the show. Have you thought about transforming the story into a more traditional, storytelling format instead?

Among various formats, the documentary style seemed most suitable for telling this story. Unlike narratives that inherently favor certain perspectives due to their dramatic nature, documentaries focus on depicting real-life behaviors and interactions. Therefore, I never considered turning this into a feature film; rather, it was an opportunity to delve deeper and explore the subject matter further.

Hey there! Could you tell me what the conversation with Eugene Hernandez, the director of Sundance, was about when you spoke to him last summer regarding the series?

Collectively, we believed Sundance would be ideal for our project as it typically draws a progressive crowd, providing an excellent platform for showcasing diverse voices often overlooked. However, we weren’t confident we could meet the Sundance deadline. Still, I reached out to Eugene and shared our idea, mentioning that the project might turn into a feature film or series, but we were unsure at the time. Eugene seemed interested by our approach of telling the story from both perspectives without bias. While the proposal sounded promising to Eugene, he wanted to see it firsthand.

You are looking for distribution for the series. Did you look for a deal before Sundance?

May: Initially, we thought people might reject a political documentary, saying “It’s not the right time” or “We’re not interested in politics.” So, instead of selling it straight away, we decided to create a few episodes first and let the content speak for itself. I’m glad we made that choice because we don’t view this as a political documentary; rather, we see it as a tale about humanity and our reactions to different perspectives.

Read More

2025-01-28 01:17