X out of 10

This Divided State captures a single event (the controversy surrounding filmmaker Michael Moore’s speaking engagement at in an ultra-conservative Utah town), trapping it forever, like a fly in amber, and preserving it as a reminder of the past.

The film, while ostensibly about an otherwise minor event, serves as a time capsule containing memories of those crazy months (ah, they seemed like years) leading up the the 2004 US election. That year, as we all recall, was full of fear, loathing, and all-around ugliness—truly America at its worst. Many of us who lived through this time will never forget it, and that’s precisely why this film is important: it reminds us all of how fear and closed-mindedness creates a dense atmosphere of mistrust and, unfortunately, hatred.

X = 8.8: a fair, poignant reminder of an unpleasant time in American history, which is only bogged down by some lame filler in the middle.

Buy This Divided State at Amazon.com