The patriotic Proud Boys are at the forefront of the MAGA cult, anti-Antifa, the Back the Blue rallies- and of Homegrown.
Journalist, director and filmmaker, Michael Premo shows the unwithering and unapologetic deep-rooted passion of three right-wing political activists during the heated 2020 US election cycle. The documentary is filmed from 2018 and 2021, capturing the rapid progression of the MAGA movement’s second-wave. As politic tensions swell beyond control, Homegrown watches the men of right-wing group The Proud Boys plunge head first into the conflict, showing its implosion first-hand when the extremists storm the Capitol in the famous January 6 insurrection backed by Trump.
One of three Boys featured in Homegrown is self-proclaimed family man Chris, who we meet whilst he’s building his soon-to-be-born son’s room from scratch. Chris promises his Chinese immigrant wife and fellow Trump supporter that each politically violent act is his last, and he will dial it back as they start their family.
Chris received a 12 year prison sentence for assault and injuring police officers during the January 6 riots.
Premo takes a poetic approach to Homegrown. He lets the activists speak for themselves as they go about their lives. No piece-to-camera or narration interrupts the progression of events. The real-time inflammation of the MAGA movement is all shown through the three men’s words.
Not only did Premo capture the spike of right-wingism but, by tagging along with Chris and The Proud Boys, Premo got an up close and uncomfortably personal view of the January 6 riots themselves. On the front line, with rioters chanting, screaming and falling in the faces of law-enforcement, Premo captures an utterly raw scene uncontaminated by any potential news partisan.
The all-access approach is what makes Homegrown so captivating. Although, the length is a little unnecessary- the captivation teeters in the middle, before the chaos of insurrection naturally recaptures your attention. More timestamps may have helped the centre of the film feel a touch more guided narratively.
However, these are small criticisms as, ultimately, Homegrown does an excellent job at showing the reality of the American right-wing, and where fascist political activism leads you.
Feature image credit: Glasgow Film Festival, Impact Partners, Storyline.
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