REVIEWS
MEDIA REVIEWS
"Oscar-nominated documentarian Judith Ehrlich (The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers) is back with another terrific film about Vietnam War-era resistance. An ode to the power of activism."
– G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
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"A powerful film. Ninety minutes of goodness."
– KTVU, Fox Mornings on 2
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"Enlightening and absorbing... a film that speaks to the present as eloquently and as urgently to its audience as the resistors did to their audiences 50 years ago. The Boys Who Said No! is too important a film to be missed."
– Emily Chase, EatDrinkFilms.com
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"This inspiring and long-overdue documentary explores a decisive era in recent American history... an excellent service in memorializing this enduring portrait of America during an earlier time of momentous inner conflict."
– Emily Mendel, Culture Vulture
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"2020 best documentaries with Bay Area connections. Filmmaker Judith Ehrlich revisits the Vietnam War draft resistance and... does a deep dive into the lives of these rebels."
– Randy Myers, Bay City News Foundation
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"Make it a must-see."
– Local News Matters, Bay Area
“A stand out film . . . The Boys Who Said NO! is a playbook for the resistors of conscience putting individual belief in combined effort to change the minds of America. Profound and startling in its revelation of how the revolution to justice starts with one person understanding their power to say no. Fascinating because it is a movement from the beginning to end offering lessons learnt to future fighters for justice.”
– Annie McLoughlin, Showreel
“One of the major highlights of this year’s Melbourne Documentary Film Festival ...an insightful and comprehensive documentary. The film is especially prescient today as it dovetails in with the Civil Rights movement and the current issues relating to the racial divide in America and the rest of the world.“
– Peter Krausz, Movie Metropolis, WYN-FM Melbourne
“Shows how bravery and courage are contagious. As this feature presents, it's when one steps out of the pages of history that people can pave a way for real change. Successful resistance doesn't have to be violent, and social change can start from the smallest of acts. An interesting, thought-provoking and ultimately challenging film, The Boys Who Said NO! is not to be missed.”
– Joel Kalkopf, Switch
“A fascinating exploration of the protest movement that helped reinforce draft resistance during the Vietnam War era.”
– Dov Kornits, Filmink
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“Some films are too important not to see. The Boys Who Said NO! is one of those films.There are many different kinds of courage. Having moral and social courage to stand up for what one believes in is perhaps one of the most courageous things anyone can do. Watch The Boys Who Said NO! to educate yourself on an important part of American history and watch it to renew your faith in the belief that your voice also has the power to make a lasting difference.”
– Documentary Drive
"Melbourne Film Festival Top Five. A fascinating documentary about the lengths that a government would go to in order to keep a war machine working, and also the ways in which passive as well as active protest can be a tool of change."
– Samaya Boron, Right Now
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REVIEWS FROM EDUCATORS
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"A compelling and powerful examination of one of the more important aspects of not just the Vietnam era, but the entire history of protest in the United States.... To get a more complete and authentic understanding of the Vietnam antiwar movement, as well as the nature of people-centered protest in the U.S., The Boys Who Said NO! is essential.”
– Robert Buzzanco, Professor of History, University of Houston
Author, Masters of War: Military Dissent and Politics in the Vietnam Era
"Finally, an account that shows the diversity of the antiwar movement! History comes alive in this thorough account of draft resistance, its roots in the Civil Rights Movement, and the eventual fusion of the two. Young viewers fighting for equity and a healthy planet will be particularly appreciative of this chance to witness the efficacy of creative nonviolent actions, while those who think they know the Vietnam War era well will learn new details about the coalitions that were formed in the efforts to end it.”
– Elise Lemire, Professor of Literature, Purchase College SUNY
"Profoundly moving and strikingly urgent, The Boys Who Said NO! should be required viewing in high school and college courses on recent American history, US foreign policy, and the Vietnam War. I can't recommend it highly enough!”
– John M. Kinder, Associate Professor of American Studies and History,
Oklahoma State University
"The Boys Who Said No! tells an important story.... Theirs was a cause built on fundamental American responsibilities -- that we speak truth to power and resist the unjust, unjustifiable, and illegal. It's an engaging, compelling documentary with considerable relevance today. And there's a lesson in it that transcends the Vietnam era: that individual actions can make a difference.”
–Leonard Steinhorn, Affiliate Professor of History, American University
CBS News Political Analyst
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“Wonderful, truly inspiring and informative, with a powerful message about the necessity of resisting unjust war and the imperative of nonviolence. The linkage to the civil rights movement and the role of Dr. King is brilliant and critically important. A fantastic job on an essential film that everyone who cares about justice and peace will want to see.”
–David Cortright, Vietnam-era Veteran
Director of Policy Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
University of Notre Dame
"There is never a blueprint for social movements -- there are templates -- and this film is an important one. It's powerful. And it's an excellent classroom resource that beautifully highlights another link on the chain of the long arch of American activism.”
–Susan Erenrich, Ph.D., Adjunct Professorial Lecturer
School of Professional and Extended Studies, American University
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