Reviews & Quotes | Youth V Gov

Educational Media Reviews Online | LaRoi Lawton, Library & Learning Resources Department, Bronx Community College of the City University of New York
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED "The viewer gets to see “Democracy and Law in action” started by a group of young people concerned about climate change."

School Library Journal | Maggie Knapp
"An empowering story of young people working within the system to make their voices heard. Consider for government and social studies classes and current events discussions."

Booklist | Candace Smith
"This documentary will help teens feel connected to solutions in the global warming crisis."

Francis Ford Coppola - Film Director, Producer & Screenwriter
"I am 100% behind our youth having a say in decisions affecting their future and holding the government accountable to them.”

Tom Wright - Filmmaker
“A vital story of a key judicial battle in the ongoing war against man-made climate change, this film is a splendidly-made and urgent coming-of-age tale for our time. Its first-class production values are a rarity among the far too few contemporary films dealing with the desire of youth for a cleaner environment. What makes this one particularly poignant is the diverse all-star team of precocious youth who’ve been recruited to join the ongoing messy quest for environmental justice.”

POV Magazine | Madeline Lines
“Youth v Gov is both a documentary and a kind of superhero movie.”

WITNESS | Kelly Matheson
“Just as Juliana v. U.S. is no ordinary lawsuit, YOUTH v GOV is no ordinary story. It is a must-watch for anyone who cares about future generations and our planet.”

GRIST | Clayton Aldern
“Here’s the deal. If you have a child-rearing bone in your body — or, really, anything other than a raisin where your heart should be — YOUTH v GOV will move you.... Part of that power comes from the skill of the filmmakers, who weave together 60 years of archival material, stirring footage of natural disasters, and dramatic courtroom video to bring dense legal arguments to life. But the vast majority of the documentary’s emotional muscle comes from those meddling kids.”

Climate Culture | Lucy Hochschartner
“I wish I could help you understand that this is the most important movie you may ever see, and that this question of who deserves a future is one that my generation demands an answer to. This movie must be taken in as a whole, a beautiful, loving story, capturing the most important court case that you’ve probably never heard of and the lives of 21 of the many children who just might save the world.”

Medium | Krista Hiser
"This case will undoubtably triumph in the long run and in doing so, it will redefine our relationship to Earth, time, and the future."

The Leader | James Sloan
“As 'Youth v. Gov' delves into the twists and turns of the lawsuit, Cooper additionally delves into the deep history of the United State’s involvement in accelerating climate change, whether through subsidizing fossil-fuel industries, failing to mitigate carbon emissions, or other decisions.“I think what this film does differently is to shine a light on the government’s responsibility in those systemic issues … and those who are most disproportionately impacted by climate change,” Cooper said. “If our government isn’t there to protect us from harm, then who is?”

The East Hampton Star | Mark Segal
“The film moves seamlessly from the legal team's development of its arguments to interviews with climate scientists to scenes of the kids demonstrating, preparing to go to court, celebrating their triumphs, and persisting despite setbacks. Perhaps most compelling are segments of individual kids, many of them from marginalized communities, who recall their direct experience of wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters that threatened their families.”

The Sag Harbor Express | Annette Hinkle
“While climate change has become a politically charged partisan issue in recent years, Cooper notes that when it comes to this topic, she finds there is blame on all sides. Even elected leaders who have spoken out about protecting the environment have, behind the scenes, instituted policies that benefit polluting industries.”

BoZone | Carol Schmidt
“It is an appropriate time for the world to learn more about the case and why it is an important case in the climate and constitutional rights world,” Cooper said. “If these young people are successful, they will not only make history, they will change the future.”

Missoulian | Rob Chaney
“A battle between youth and government over climate change could be won before one of two courts: law or public opinion.”