Tribeca Film Festival movie review: 'The First Step'

CNN commentator Van Jones champions the hot-button issue of prison reform amid a divided nation to see if bipartisanship is still possible in the documentary 'The First Step' (screening during the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival).

In short: After the 2016 election, Jones attempts to pass a landmark criminal justice reform bill - and finds himself under fire from all sides.

The notion of a "Van Jones documentary" is itself a triggering premise to some people, which is pretty unfair to this thoughtful meditation, which goes beyond the cable news talking head and examines what it looks like to advocate for a political cause in modern politics. This is a bigger topic than just the "radical leftist" Van Jones - this documentary simply views criminal justice reform from the perspective of one polarizing figure's attempt to change mass incarceration in the United States (through a movement known as #Cut50).

Strip out the documentary's polarizing central figure and even the main subject itself, the core of this film essentially documents the daunting, uphill battle to find common ground in American politics. As presented in this film, 'bipartisanship' is a gross oversimplification of political discourse - as #Cut50 has unlikely supporters on "the right" as well as extreme criticism from some on "the left." The point of this documentary isn't to just pit a popular CNN pundit and trash conservatives opposing prison reform - if anything, the documentary gives "both sides" equal time in disparaging Jones.

While some documentaries focus on archival footage or strictly on sterile information, 'First Step' wisely anchors this story in the individuals supporting the #Cut50 initiative for prison reform. However hopeful or cynical anyone is about the intent or effectiveness of modern politics, the heart of 'The First Step' is in the passion of those pushing for criminal justice reform - people from all walks of life, from celebrity influencers to local law enforcement to community organizers, united in one cause. This documentary smartly humanizes prison reform, if only to understand why Jones or his team pushes so hard on the issue. Humanizing the contentious human lightning rod serving as the public face of #Cut50 effectively puts a mirror up to partisan news apparatus, who (regardless of political affiliation) weaponize soundbites and fixate on small moments to reduce a figurehead or a movement to a few, easily digestible sentences.

Identity is among the strongest devices in narrative storytelling - and 'The First Step' finds a man vilified by conservatives and progressives alike. The film allows Jones to voice the way he perceives himself and his actions, as well as allowing the wide political spectrum to voice their views of his public persona, which includes CPAC folk calling him a "socialist" and fellow prison reformists deriding Jones as an "Uncle Tom." And all this figure-centric analysis is set against the macro-scale division in American politics, with Americans all too ready to self identify, seemingly eager to take one side and vilify the other.

Final verdict: This incisive documentary is a snap shot of sharp and seemingly wide division of modern American politics and a behind-the-scenes look at how genuine bipartisanship, compromises and all, can still find majority support ... even in a nation that voluntarily divides itself between blue hats and red hats.

Score: 4/5

'The First Step' screens during the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. This documentary is not yet rated and has a runtime of 84 minutes.