
Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train
2004

Representation Score
Good
2009
PG-13Director
Emily Kunstler, Sarah Kunstler
Runtime
85 minutes
Average Rating
No ratings yetNew Showbiz Analysis
The documentary succeeds as a study of systemic critique, using the legal career of William Kunstler to highlight the roles of underrepresented political voices. Its strength lies in its portrayal of the legal system as a structure requiring disruption rather than a neutral entity. However, the film's scope is narrow regarding specific identity politics. It lacks explicit engagement with LGBTQ+ narratives or disability, focusing instead on broader racial and political struggles of the 20th century. Ultimately, the film's diversity is found in its subject matter and its investigative lens, avoiding a standard 'great man' narrative in favor of a more complex, humanized perspective.
Category Breakdown
The film does not specifically address LGBTQ+ identities or narratives. However, it discusses historical movements that intersected with queer liberation, focusing more on racial and political dimensions.
By centering the directors' perspectives, the film challenges traditional patriarchal clichés. This female-led approach examines the domestic impact of a radical career through a multi-layered lens.
The documentary highlights Kunstler's defense of figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, providing significant roles to characters of color central to the historical narrative.
The narrative critiques Western institutional norms and state authority. It portrays anti-establishment activities as necessary responses to systemic corruption and challenges the neutrality of the legal system.
There is no intentional focus on disability or neurodivergence. While the film addresses socioeconomic disenfranchisement, it does not engage with disability as a specific category of identity.
Present on Screen
Limited or Absent
Official Synopsis
William Kunstler was one of the most famous lawyers of the 20th century. His clients included Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Phillip and Daniel Berrigan, Abbie Hoffman, H. Rap Brown, Stokely Carmichael, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and Leonard Peltier. Filmmakers Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler explore their father’s life, from middle-class family man, to movement lawyer, to “the most hated lawyer in America.”

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