By the time we got to the Vietnam war in school it was always three days before summer vacation. My knowledge about the war is spotty at best, despite that my father's generation either fought in this war or figured out ways to avoid fighting in it. I am a Kerry supporter, but after seeing this film my opinion has changed from viewing him as merely an alternative to Bush to believing that this is a man with an intimate knowledge of the military and the convictions and experience to lead the country. I did not love Fahrenheit 9/11 (although "Bowling for Columbine" is great) because I felt that the vitriol was so obvious the film became ultimately unbelievable---so partisan I did not believe it could be entirely accurate. But when I was watching "Going Upriver" I continually found myself wondering what George Bush was doing during the time when John Kerry was fighting and then protesting. These questions have prompted me to find out more about George Bush. This film is not an "angry" film like F9/11. But I was shocked to see that while John Kerry was taken very seriously as a war hero in the 1970s by both the government and the media, it has been so easy for the Republicans to denigrate that image today. Not only is that wrong, but it seems sad that the American people care so little about truth and accept information so blindly.
Review of Going Upriver
