JOIN OR DIE: A documentary about community in America
This is a film about why you should join a club... and why the fate of America depends on it.
It’s been a while since I last posted — and the reason for the recent radio silence is the topic of this newsletter.
For the past six years, my sister Rebecca Davis and I have been hard at work making JOIN OR DIE, a feature documentary about community in America, the loneliness epidemic, and Robert Putnam's famed "Bowling Alone" research. After a long journey filming Putnam over many years, sifting through amazing archive photos and videos of the history of American civic life (shout out to the Library of Congress!), following six new and inspiring community groups, and interviewing a dozen of Bob’s friends, fans, and interlocutors, we finally premiered the film at SXSW in March.
Here’s a trailer and summary below:
JOIN OR DIE is a film about why you should join a club — and why the fate of America depends on it. In this feature documentary, follow the half-century story of America's civic unraveling through the journey of legendary Harvard social scientist Robert Putnam, whose groundbreaking "Bowling Alone" research into America's decades-long decline in community connections could hold the answers to our democracy's present crisis. Flanked by influential fans and scholars — from Hillary Clinton, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to Eddie Glaude Jr., Raj Chetty, and Priya Parker — as well as inspiring groups building community in neighborhoods across the country, join Bob as he explores three urgent civic questions: What makes democracy work? Why is American democracy in crisis? And, most importantly…What can we do about it?
Henry David Thoreau once said: “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” It is important to tell stories about the various “branches of evil,” but with this film, we felt called to bring attention one of the major roots of our public problems: social disconnection. As the unraveling of our social fabric has accelerated in the COVID era, we are all searching for fundamental explanations of our civic decline: Why don’t our politics or government work? Why can’t we see eye-to-eye with our neighbors? What accounts for the gap between the empowered few and the disempowered many?
The answers to these questions are complex—and no single scholar can definitively answer any of them. But Putnam has made great strides at clarifying our understanding of the roots of our civic unraveling. Even better, he is a master at translating his trailblazing social science research into engaging stories. For decades, he has explained to rapt audiences around the country—from VFW halls to the Oval Office—his illuminating findings, but the entirety of his work has never been featured in a documentary film with the potential to reach a wider audience.
With Join or Die, we aim to introduce Putnam’s research on the importance of community to democracy and the decline in American community engagement over the past decades to more Americans—and especially to young Americans who were not alive to experience Bowling Alone going viral decades ago.
To bring Putnam’s message up to date, we have paired his story with figures from various sectors—from politics and economics to public health and urban design—that have been influenced by his ideas. And to bring Putnam’s data down to earth, we have weaved throughout the film historic home videos and contemporary community profiles featuring the types of civic organizations that Putnam has found to be foundational to a healthy democracy. Together, we hope that they not only help promote the public understanding of an important field in social science—but that they also shed light on what Americans across the country can do with this newfound understanding.
With the death knell of our national unity tolling from every corner of our public life, we hope that revisiting Putnam’s groundbreaking civic findings—and spotlighting the creative local groups acting in the spirit of them—can serve to inspire viewers to do what needs to be done to save our democracy: Join up!
Bring Join or Die to your community
After our premiere in March, Join or Die has been on a large film festival and community screening tour all year, zigzagging America from Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Seattle to Tallahassee, Harvard, and Arizona, and more—plus screening for dozens of neighborhood civic groups, congregations, and campuses across the country along the way.
We would love to bring Join or Die to your city, campus, organization, or community group. If you’re interested, fill out this form and we’ll be in touch to work out details:
DC Premiere Week
If you are in the DC area, I am excited to share that on Thursday, November 2nd at Georgetown and on Friday, November 3rd at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema DC, we will be having our DC Premiere Week. If you or any other DC area friends are interested, would love to see you at one of our screenings! Robert Putnam and we will be around after both screenings for a discussion and Q&A. If interested, space is limited, so get your tickets soon:
Thursday, November 2nd at 4PM — Premiere at Georgetown
Schedule:
4PM-6 PM — Screening at Gaston Hall in Georgetown University's Healy Hall
6PM-7 PM — Reception in Healy Hall's Rigg's Library
7PM - 8:15 PM —Dialogue with Robert Putnam, Rebecca Davis, Pete Davis, and others on "Isolation or Community? Solidarity in America" in Healy Hall's Gaston Hall
Sponsored by Georgetown's Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life — more information here
Friday, November 3rd at 7PM — Screening at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema DC
Screening at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema DC on 630 Rhode Island Avenue NE in Washington, DC
Schedule:
6:30 PM — Doors open
7 PM — Screening begins
8:45 PM — Q&A with Robert Putnam, Rebecca Davis, and Pete Davis starts immediately following the screening
Sponsored by The Aspen Institute Philosophy & Society Program — more information here
Get your tickets here: Aspen.JoinOrDie.film
Hope to see you at a screening!
Pete
P.S. We were so honored to interview the heroic labor organizer and theorist Jane McAlevey for the film. This week, she was just featured in a New Yorker profile that is well worth checking out: How Jane McAlevey Transformed the Labor Movement
Early Reviews of JOIN OR DIE
"The seeming irreparable divisions in our country have been a hot topic of this year’s SXSW entries, but one documentary is preoccupied with finding solutions." Austin Monthly, The Films We Loved Most at SXSW
"The film, like Putnam’s work, is engrossing and, ultimately, convincing. It’s hard to watch without feeling the personal impact of Putnam’s ideas in your own life – the social disconnection, the apathy, the cynicism – and as the credits roll you might just find yourself wanting to join a bowling league." Archer Parquette, Milwaukee Magazine
"Join or Die, a documentary, did justice to the incredulity of its premise, treating the concept of social capital and the power of joining groups with a necessary seriousness, but keeping the tone approachable.” Culture Map Austin, Our 12 favorite films, parties, and moments from SXSW 2023
"Join or Die made me feel more motivated to do something than perhaps any movie I've ever seen." Ryan Scott, Slash Film (Full review here)
"Most inspiring movie I've seen so far at SXSW…I want to join all the clubs now" Dan Gentile, SFGATE
"Striking Visual Bombshell About Decline of Membership Clubs Delivers Wake-Up Call” David McDonald, FilmBook
"Join or Die proves itself vital and relevant, a necessary documentary that promises the conversation will continue long after the credits have rolled." Stephanie Archer, Film Inquiry
"[Putnam's] an affable, sensitive person and a wonderful camera subject who never seems calculated, withholding, or insincere." Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
"[A] sense of humor, bolstered by a plucky voiceover, cute animations, and clever editing quick with a punch line, is all over Join or Die." Brianna Caleria, CultureMap Austin
"A resonant tale of how community...benefits individuals and our democracy at large. Nicely told...balanced by an affable tone." Jon Partridge, Cinapse News
"So interesting and engaging. Highly recommend." Rachel's Reviews
"Join or Die makes a compelling argument and does so with style…Davis & Davis...establish themselves as an upbeat documentary duo that can communicate important, complex ideas in easy-to-digest packaging." Alan French, Sunshine State Cineplex
"Join or Die places a magnifying glass on a simple, yet surprisingly crucial topic: clubs...This one is not to be missed!" Josh Batchelder, Josh at the Movies