Sundance 2025: ‘Middletown’ is a Remarkable Doc About Journalism
by Alex Billington
January 28, 2025
There are times when I come across a great documentary and all I want to do is rave and rave about it and convince everyone else to watch the film. But I must confess – it’s always a challenge. How can I convince anyone to watch this time capsule film about high school kids in the 1990s trying out journalism? It’s not an easy sell no matter what I say about it. Nonetheless this film needs to be seen and admired and discussed – there’s so much to appreciate. Middletown is the latest documentary film creation from the two acclaimed filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss – they’re both regulars at Sundance with their doc films Boys States, Girls State, and The Mission previously. They’re back again already at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival with another excellent doc. This one really shook me up and has been stuck on my mind ever since. So many moments and conversations hit me hard and have remained on my mind, playing over and over as I think about the state of the world right now, and what’s going on in journalism at this moment in history.
Amanda McBaine & Jesse Moss’ film Middletown revives a story that was lost in time. They must’ve heard about it or read about it and decided to dig into it further – once they start interviewing the group of people who were involved, the story begin to pour out and it becomes even more fascinating. Middletown is about a group of students at Middletown High School in a small city in New York state just north of NYC. It’s both a re-examination of their groundbreaking journalism work and actual investigation in the 1990s, and also a fascinating reflection looking back on what they did and how things have changed – or not – since then. At the time, a funky, beloved “hippie” teacher at the school was given control over cameras & equipment so he started a class called Electronic English. Which was just a fancy term for digital media & TV, with the launch of a mini studio and their school TV station. This teacher, named Fred Isseks, decided to get his students into journalism so they took thire cameras and went out to explore – discovering that a nearby landfill was leaking toxic waste and making people sick. The more they got into this, investigating & interviewing, they uncovered a massive mafia-connected web of unsanctioned waste disposal. They were in deep but persisted anyway – spending years trying to use their journalism to clean up this waste and stop the illegal dumping.
That may not sound like the most “interesting” topic at first glance for a documentary film, but let me assure you this isn’t any ol’ boring documentary. It’s anything but. McBaine & Moss are documentary masters and their storytelling techniques, filmmaking, and editing turn this curious early 90s story into an eye-opening, invigorating, engrossing tale that is a tribute to journalism and how important seeking out the truth is. No matter what. No matter who resists and/or won’t give in. Even if it doesn’t achieve change or fully stop what they’re trying to stop – their relentless drive to get to the bottom of it anyway, their determination to make a difference, and the unwavering support they received from Mr. Isseks, made such a huge difference. Their reflection on this experience when they were in high school is one of the most affecting parts about this doc. Even though all of these students eventually moved on and went on to their live their own lives after high school, they all talk about how much this story changed them and made them into better people. And by the end of this doc, it’s impossible not to be feel moved & encouraged by hard-hitting, truth-finding journalism, regardless of the results. It’s still important, it’s necessary, and I’m sad that it seems so fleeting nowadays.
Unfortunately as much as they tried their best, there was only so much they could do. It doesn’t even really matter that they were students, it seems that the politicians, local media, and almost everyone else in town was being paid off and would rather lie & defend & protect themselves then actually stop what is wrong and care about the local citizens. It’s extremely depressing, especially watching this film and listening to most of the people being interviewed saying over & over again “we really thought we could make a difference,” and “we were really driven to make change,” but little did they know adults did not care about changing. Which is so frustrating. It’s impossible not to talk about this part of the film, because you may be on the edge your seat watching these kids continue their investigation. But this film is about the journey, not the destination. As cliche as it may be to use this phrase it is the best way to sum up Middletown. That journey is so moving and galvanizing, the tenacity of these kids is so inspiring. Above all, it’s remarkable that a story from over 30 years ago can still have this kind of impact on everyone today. This is the enduring power of real journalism.
Alex’s Sundance 2025 Rating: 9 out of 10
Follow Alex on Twitter – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing
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