For the last several years, I have been an outside observer of Tennessee State politics. My brother-in-law is one of twenty-three Democrats in the Tennessee House of Representatives, a legislative chamber where seventy-five Republicans form a supermajority. Through this lens I have witnessed a cycle of hope, frustration, and perseverance.

The idea to make a documentary began a few months after Tennessee politics entered the national stage -- with the tragic Covenant school shooting, the expulsion of two Black Democrats from the House, and the failure of a special session to produce substantial gun legislation. In the fall of 2023, with political tensions especially high, it seemed the upcoming January gathering of the 113th General Assembly could spiral out of control.

Around this time, I watched Robert Drew’s 1963 cinema verité documentary "Crisis" and wondered: Could I step back and make an observational film, in black and white, of the House proceedings without taking sides, without following a single issue or individual? Could I just observe and allow the viewer to make connections, engage, and follow the process? The goal was to be open and transparent, talking with both sides about the political mechanics of a divided state. Like a visitor from another land, I wanted to be curiously naive.

Once production began and the (very) small team arrived at the State Capitol, we introduced ourselves as impartial and quickly discovered a theme. We found a Republican supermajority wary of the camera and unwilling to talk. We found a Democratic minority eager to have their voices heard. We found the people of Tennessee, passionate and informed, showing up day after day, refusing to give up. What we found was a state under single party rule -- a political motif rippling across the American landscape.