The Great American Lie (2020)

The Great American Lie is a documentary film that examines what inequality looks like today and traces its roots to our long-revered promise of the American Dream. It's a story about how the ideas that are imbued in the Dream dominate our society and create and perpetuate inequality, deepening our social, economic, and political chasms.

The film looks at what Americans are told - through all aspects of our culture - about who and what is valued, based on how we "gender" people and things. The reality we now face is that we are a society divided and out of balance - where the cultural pendulum has swung too far towards a masculine world view, where we revere those things considered stereotypically "masculine", like money, power and individualism, over things considered stereotypically "feminine", like empathy, collaboration, and community. This point of view has created the worst economic and social inequality since the Great Depression. And, the more unequal we become, the deeper our crisis of connection. This film brings the reality of America's vast inequality to life through the stories of five people which reveal ways that gendered values play out in our society, privileging few and oppressing many: a public school principal fighting for better opportunities for her disadvantaged students; a social Toolkit advocate shining a light on the plight of low-wage women workers; a public interest lawyer fighting for criminal justice reform that prioritizes care over punishment; a steelworker who knows firsthand the toll of layoffs, economic disillusionment and addiction; and a Southern, conservative, single mother who takes us on a journey from disconnection and judgment to connection and empathy. These stories are interwoven with expert voices who help give historical, political, and economic context to the film. The Great American Lie is incredibly timely because of the staggering state of inequality today, but this film is also important because it is new. By bringing the unique perspective of gender to this story, this film expands the conversation around the causes of and solutions to America's inequality and division. With our history and experience in illuminating and challenging limiting gender narratives in our society, our documentary team is uniquely qualified to tell this story. Our first two films, Miss Representation and The Mask You Live In, laid the groundwork for understanding the impact of gender on individuals and communities in American society. We view The Great American Lie as the critical last film in this trilogy that will address the role of our gendered values on American society at large.