Skip to main content

State of the Unity | Review by: Stefano Bove


Does the average person prefer seeing positive or negative content? Based on what we see in the news and media, It would look like negative and disastrous stories make all of the headlines and seem like we are in a constant stream of world-ending scenarios. This is even the case in film and entertainment as serial killer and murder mystery stories become ever more popular but music has always been a medium that has fueled positive emotion and even protest. Can music be a tool to unify a people as a collective for a common goal? Jillian and Nathaniel go on a journey to answer that very question. 


State of the Unity tells a story that is refreshing and incredibly uplifting. In 2016, the band "the Bergamot" (Jillian and Nathaniel) traveled to all 50 states to perform and spread the message of unity to all Americans. Using music to spread the message, Jillian and Nathaniel would impromptu perform in every location they drove through. This spontaneity would give them the courage to perform in all sorts of locations from the trunk of their van to large park performances and everything in between.  The car that took them on their journey also had a role to play. It itself became a work of art and an evolving performance piece as people were able to write messages of hope and unity directly on the car. The further they travel across the country, the more national praise they receive. 

Meeting people in every state across the USA in a particular way allowed Jillian and Nathaniel to experience many touching moments.  My favorite parts of the documentary are the short interview clips of people writing their message on the car from the 2016 footage. They truly are wholesome moments of hope and inspiration for our fellow human beings.

 Jillian and Nathaniel are amazing people and that is not only visible in their actions and dedication to the journey but their documentary interviews on the experience as well. It is not everyday that people choose to dedicate so much time and effort to make other people happy and experience something wholesome. 

State of the Unity is the kind of story that we should strive to showcase. Too often do we focus on such dark and negative content when we should really focus our attention on positive change. Jillian and Nathaniel showed us that there is power in unity and it is also infectious. seeing other people happy, excited and vulnerable truly opens oneself up for a real emotional connection. 

State of the Unity is available on VOD today.

3.5/5

Review by: Stefano Bove





#review #movie #documentary #stateoftheunity 









Popular posts from this blog

Boss Level Film Review

       Boss Level is a new addition to the time loop genre, with a twist. Ex-special forces officer, Roy Pulver, played by Frank Grillo, relives the same day until he dies. Every day he is hunted by assassins and when killed, he wakes up back in his bed where he started, only to have to try and survive all over again. Roy has no idea why he is stuck in this infinite time loop but he must do what he can to survive, and the longer he survives, the more he uncovers about his particular situation.  Unlike most action films that take time to build up, this film gets right into it and offers tons of non-stop combat sequences that would satisfy any lover of action films. Its erratic flow makes for some fun action scenes which come out of nowhere since Roy can expect the assassins to attack at any moment. If you play video games often and have ever been stuck on a level for hours or even days, you know the feeling of having to repeat the same thing over and over again u...

Godzilla vs. Kong Film Review

         Godzilla versus Kong is the action movie we have been longing for since all major blockbuster films pushed back their release dates. After three solo films between Kong and Godzilla, we finally see the two titans clash on film for the first time in what is the culmination of the Universal Monsterverse. The story is split nicely in two as team Kong and team Godzilla each have their own mission. Team Kong is on a secret mission to the center of the earth to uncover the mystery of the titans. This team consists of Dr. Nathan, Dr. Ilene, Maia, and the Youngest character in the film, Jia. Team Godzilla consists of Madison, Josh, and Bernie who are also on a secret mission, to infiltrate Apex Cybernetics with the theory that they are up to no good and are the reason why Godzilla has been acting up recently. The dynamics of the teams are well balanced as the Kong story provides us with serious and more action-heavy bits in contrast to the Apex team story that ...

Better Man | Review by: Benjamin Garrett

  What at first feels like a CGI gimmick allows Better Man to climb and swing it’s way beyond standard biopic conventions. This larger than life musical is worth a watch even if, like me, you needed to ask “Who the hell is Robbie Williams?”.  A pop icon in the UK who didn’t quite make a household name for himself in North America, Robbie Williams bares his life (the good the bad and the drug fueled ugly) in this dazzling account of his rise to fame. Musician biopics often focus too heavily on the creation of the artist’s work, and not enough on the actual artist. Better Man gives audiences a sobering portrait of the man behind the monkey, with his songs placed in pivotal life and career moments to move the narrative forward. This works especially well if you aren’t entirely familiar with Williams’ work, because you won’t find yourself waiting to hear specific needle drops. Instead they flow organically into the story, with gorgeously choreographed musical numbers.  And bo...