Knock Down the House: The Rise of AOC and Outsiders

With its premiere at Sundance in January 2019, Knock Down the House has finally arrived on Netflix. The documentary follows four women and their journey of running for seats and the Senate in the United States Government. These four women were far from the traditional congressional and Senate candidates. They were individuals who realized that their districts had been suffering and not accurately represented. This prompted them to take a stand and start their own campaigns back by the people and not corporate or PAC money. Knock Down the House exposes the flaws of the current election system as politicians use their constituents as pawns to win reelections and make promises that are never fulfilled after they secure their seats. The women show us the effects of this trend on their communities due to the neglect of the environment and economic sufferings by their former representatives. These women saw these and took the initiative to make a change in their community and bring power back to the people. This is a step towards a more transparent government that focuses on the people instead of companies and reelection. Politicians who have been corrupted by the system have failed their constituents but use their huge war chests to stay in power and cover up their crimes. It is time to get rid of these people and fix the system to focus on people instead of corporations.


The documentary shows an in-depth journey of the campaign of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She started out as a waitress who was very involved in her community and talked with the people. She ran her campaign as a voice for the people and strayed from the traditional election standards. It was refreshing to see a candidate that focused their campaign on the specific needs of the community than generic statements that they know will gain attention. AOC knew that challenging an incumbent would be difficult but that did not stop her. This documentary emphasizes a shift in the American people as they begin to favor the nontraditional candidate and have become more aware of what is actually happening in their communities. Another focus of the documentary was Paula Jean Swearingen, a woman running for the Senate in West Virginia. She brought up a good point on how the environment in her state was being poisoned by their own people and that the government would only care if it was done by an enemy of the country. This prompts her to run for a Senate seat to deal with these forgotten issues that lead to the suffering of her community and state. These women notice the effects of the government that are playing negative roles in their communities that current political leaders try to sweep under the rug. All the women were backed by A Brand New Congress that was dedicated to having new candidates running for Congress. The documentary shows the challenges of upsetting an established candidate and the barriers each woman faced in their campaigns. It further emphasized the inequality and corruption of the establishment of Congress and election rules.


These women serve as inspirations to the outsider movement and raise the possibility of a nontraditional candidate's ability to grow a following. If you are passionate about making a change you should go after that. The documentary also shows a new American attitude towards accepting the unpredictable. It raises the opinion that many Americans are tired of the establishment and want something new. People want someone to represent them as an individual and not another number or just a demographic. I hope this prompts more outsiders to run and tear down the establishment. The focus needs to shift back to the people and stop ignoring the sufferings of different communities. The film's strength of showing an insight into each journey for each woman is exceptional and allows the viewer to have a connection and learn what was not in the news. It offers a non-biased view for each candidate which is refreshing in these polarizing times. It also emphasizes the importance of the person instead of the political party. The future seems bright and I can't wait to see what comes after this.