Film Review: JOIN OR DIE (2023): Striking Visual Bombshell About Decline of Membership Clubs Delivers Wake-Up Call [SXSW 2023]

Join or Die Review

Join or Die (2023) Film Review from the 30th Annual South by Southwest Film Festival, a movie written and directed by Pete Davis and Rebecca Davis, starring Pete Buttigieg, Raj Chetty, Hillary Clinton, Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., Hahrie Han, Glenn Loury, Jane McAlevey, Vivek Murthy, Priya Parker, and Robert Putnam.

This incisive, visually stunning documentary delivers a cautionary message about the steady decline of membership clubs in the United States and how to fix it.

The title itself is something of an ultimatum, a takeoff on Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 political cartoon published in ‘The Pennsylvania Gazette.’ This drawing, known as Join, or Die, is a very familiar one to us Americans — that of a segmented snake to illustrate the importance of unity among the Colonies by way of shared identity.

This documentary follows the same theme, a rousing but rational work that delves into the recent trend of declining membership in local clubs and organizations, and more specifically a means of empowering an otherwise disenfranchised middle class. Ultimately, Join or Die aims to be its clarion.

To that end the filmmakers put at the center interview footage of Robert Putnam, author of the 2000 nonfiction bestseller, ‘Bowling Alone.’ Writer/director Pete Davis also serves as narrator, because there’s no better one out there; he had been Putnam’s student at Harvard. Robert Putnam credits his life’s work after attending JFK’s inauguration and the inspiration he found in Kennedy’s famous mandate: “Ask not . . .”

It’s easy to see why this is. Putnam’s personality is all about enthusiasm and participation, at both work and play. He still abounds on camera with youthful energy, a country mile from stereotypical highbrow elitism often assigned to Ivy League academics.

It is clear also that Robert Putnam has no problem cracking a sweat. He isn’t one to rest on his laurels, either. He takes criticism to heart in the most respectful way possible — constructively, that is. He listens to pushback and considers possible weaknesses in his own research. And there were a number of pundits who questioned or downright scoffed at the conclusions put forth in ‘Bowling Alone.’ And he took them on, examining the content piecemeal. His main conclusion held firm, however: civic associations had formed the bedrock of our country, and their demise may pull down our Great Democratic Experiment along with it.

Putnam’s groundbreaking social experiment began by being in the right place at the right time. He was already in Italy when Rome’s central government decided to delegate a degree of autonomy equally among the provinces, empowering local citizens to work together in order to foster common goals in their communities — essentially, democracy in action. In the long run, Putnam identified the greatest factor in the success of this venture was a form of civic engagement known as social capital. This formed the bedrock of his research going forward, including the publication of ‘Bowling Alone.’

While this sounds like a rather dry topic, Join or Die certainly is not. The filmmaking team makes its argument with a number of robust devices, and the result is entertaining and the premise quite convincing. The visuals are courtesy of cinematographer Ronan Killeen and animator Mark Lopez. Editor Chad Ervin contributes his skill along with a strong editorial department. Together they concocted a steady stream of clever montages that recall the madcap graphic designs of Monty Python, intercut with TV footage and live interviews with celebrity proponents of Dr. Putnam’s work.

But the overall excellence of Join or Die is a promise fulfilled, owing in large part to Rebecca Davis’ production expertise. She served as supervising producer on the acclaimed Vox Explained series and its subsequent spin-offs on Netflix. Chad Cannon composed a terrific score, and you may find yourself humming the film’s upbeat leitmotif.

And upbeat is the lasting message Join or Die aims to promote as an imperative to combat our turbulent times. As alarmist as the title might seem, the potential for optimism is still going strong as well. According to this movie we could still reclaim the civic strength provided by Main Street organizations of yesteryear across the nation — if we are invested enough.

Or to paraphrase Huck Finn: ‘We pays our money and we takes our chances.’

Rating: 9/10

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