Crawford (2008)

Crawford is a balanced and revealing before-and-after documentary about the small-town Texas community that George W. Bush chose to settle in at the start of his presidential campaign. It follows residents of 5 years, 40 years, and numerous lifetimes as they describe the Crawford they knew before and after W. (some with regret, some with relief). You won't often see a more folksy old coot than the gap-toothed Pug or a more staunch Republican than the fleshy-cheeked souvenir shop owner. (Her unquestioning devotion to W.'s talking points and to W. himself are never so surreal as when she's mooning over the talking W. doll with its "evildoers" patter.) The high-school teacher who likes to mix it up and get students and townspeople to talk about why they believe what they believe (esp. where facts or logic are lacking) is a stitch. The peace activists who descended on the town a force of nature that some townsfolk revile as "godless Commie scum" since that's what Fox News would do. No political or partisan sidetaking here, just vignettes of real human beings told in their own words and facial expressions. It's an intimate portrait of a town you can respect and admire even with its broken dreams. Here is a documentary that's a bit ragged but will stay with me a long time. IW. 4 stars.