John Lewis doc 'Good Trouble' is a great antidote to Trumpism

The new documentary on John Lewis -- Good Trouble -- doesn't do anything new or unusual in terms of form, but it arrives at a time when it is desperately needed. As I write this, the president of the United States, improbably Donald Trump, is actively crowing about attacks on 'our heritage' and defending the confederacy. Lewis stands as a stark contrast -- a genuine American hero -- the kind of person who actually deserves a statue. Those who know him may only know him for his brave stand for voting rights in Selma, Alabama, where he was nearly beaten to death for an American ideal -- but the entirety of his life is compelling.

Before he was even 20 years old he was reaching out to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (who would playfully call him 'the boy from Troy,' his hometown) and engaging in non-violent protest for civil rights. When Trump reached that age, he was proudly avoiding service in Vietnam and allegedly paying off someone who took the SATs for him.

Lewis' record is unimpeachable because he put his body where his mouth was -- risking his life on a regular basis and getting jailed dozens of times to achieve equality that was far from a forgone conclusion.

The film Good Trouble works best when it lets its remarkable archival footage speak for itself. Lewis, always a compelling presence -- is the emotional center -- but there are more treasures to be found here: training sessions for civil rights workers where they have to practice hearing epithets, coupled with the frank, racist sentiments of pro-segregation whites.

The abuse of these righteous protesters feels remarkably resonant in the aftermath of the police violence directed at demonstrations following the murder of George Floyd and the president's shameful dispersal of innocent, peaceful Americans so he could take a photo with an upside down Bible.

Early in the Trump presidency, because Lewis snubbed his inauguration, his good name and reputation were widely smeared by people who didn't deserve to even speak his name.

Too few people understand the courage and strength that nonviolence requires. Far from being depressing, its inspiring -- and Lewis' ultimate victory in getting the Voting Rights Act passed is a vindication of all his hard work. The fact that that law was eventually gutted by the Supreme Court, ought to motivate people too.

The film is not entirely a hagiography -- although it mostly is -- late in the film there's an intriguing interrogation of how Lewis won his seat, which involved some pretty ruthless politics on his part at the expense of his longtime friend and civil rights icon Julian Bond. The film doesn't dwell too long on this episode, but the takeaway is that Lewis was and is very much a politician then and now.

And yet, few politicians have also dedicated this much of their lives of doing the hard work of being an activist and an advocate for people who are marginalized. Trump and his acolytes thinks doing that work makes you a loser, but there's a reason there will be no films lionizing them, whereas Good Trouble will always be a testament to this Congressman's greatness.