Reviews & Quotes | The Strike
New York Times
"Change happens slowly. There’s no central source of information about the number of U.S. prisoners held in solitary confinement, but it’s far more than most of us realize. The striking prisoners had an effect, but they didn’t change the entire system. Yet what “The Strike” makes clear is that their collective action didn’t just make an incremental step toward better conditions for prisoners. In the end, it changed the way they saw the world, too."
Variety | By Dennis Harvey
“A strong case for human contact as essential to human existence.”
POV Magazine | By Liam Lacey
"The strength of Strike comes from the first-person accounts that humanize the participants—both the prisoners who speak candidly about the psychological damage of prolonged seclusion, and the officials who describe how they attempted to improve a dysfunctional organizational culture."
Laila Aziz, Community Organizer
"One of the most important pieces created in our movement.”
UCLA School of Law | Sharon Dolovich, Professor of Law
“It is hard to overstate how impactful and illuminating the event was for students."
Audience Member
“This film both broke and restored my faith in humanity all at once.”
LA Elements | Elva Zevallos
"The Strike succeeds in delivering an impact to the viewer that is powerfully emotional."
Keith Loves Movies | Pedro Lima
"It is an impactful film about human rights and the power of solidarity."
SK on Movies | By Sean Patrick Kelly
"One can only mention the mental toll it takes to spend years, let alone decades, in solitary confinement, where the prisoners resign themselves to death in a concrete box. This probably helps to make The Strike an inspirational story, as the prisoners within the Pelican Bay SHU decided to do something about their situation. The end result is a documentary worth checking out."
Set the Bar | Robert K Stephen (CSW)
"A fascinating study of the debilitating effects of solitary confinement in the prison system and the political football game played by California politicians and CDC bureaucrats."
Unseen Films | Steve Kopian
"No matter where you stand on criminal justice you need to see this film because it makes the discussion one you can relate to on a personal level."
NPR “Here and Now”
'The Strike' documentary tells of incarcerated peoples' protest against solitary confinement
LA Times | By Manuel Betancourt
A mass hunger strike transformed solitary confinement in California prisons. This documentary captures the fight
KQED | By Pendarvis Harshaw
In ‘The Strike,’ Filmmakers Illustrate the Issues With Solitary Confinement
Documentary Magazine | By Noel Ransome
“How Social Change Happens From Below”: Lucas Guilkey and JoeBill Muñoz Discuss ‘The Strike’
KQED Forum | By Alexis Madrigal
How a Massive California Prison Hunger Strike Overhauled Solitary Confinement
Letterboxd
Watchlist This! Our February 2025 picks of the best new bubbling-under films
Mission Local | By Andrew Gilbert
How a peaceful prison uprising ended torture in Pelican Bay
Vanguard News Group | David M. Greenwald
“The Strike” Wins First San Quentin Film Festival Award; Highlights Horrors of Solitary Confinement at Pelican Bay
KPFA Law and Disorder
New documentary ‘The Strike’ highlights historic hunger strike against solitary confinement
KPFA Hard Knock Radio
Unheard Voices: The Fight Against Solitary Confinement in The Strike
UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
Alums JoeBill Muñoz and Lucas Guilkey produce ‘The Strike’ — highlighting historic uprising in a California supermax prison
Los Angeles Times | By Carlos Aguilar
8 Movies to Watch at This Year’s Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
Awards Radar
Cine Las Americas 26th International Film Festival
Deadline | By Rosy Cordero
Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival Sets 2024 Lineup With 'In The Summers' To Open
WJTV
"The Strike": Witness the Untold Story of a Movement for change within Prison Walls
Screenfish
HotDocs '24: The Strike
CB Media Network
Interview of 'The Strike' directors JoeBill Munoz and Lucas Guilkey (Spotify)
Movie Pie
Hot Docs 2024 #8: Social Studies
SF Gate
Pass The Remote: Doclands In San Rafael Serves Up Adventure And More
Bay City News
New doc ‘The Strike’ details the prison hunger strike that made history
See Change
Ending Solitary Confinement: Documentary details largest hunger strike in U.S. history
Thirty Four Flavours
#HotDocs24 @hotdocs: The Strike
Movie Pie | By Vickie
Hot Docs 2024: Qs à la mode with Lucas Guilkey & JoeBill Muñoz (The Strike)
Marin IJ
5 interesting films with Marin ties coming to DocLands