Homegrown: Review. By Robert Ewing.

On January 6^th, 2021, an insurrection occurred in the United States of America that sent shockwaves worldwide. Many news outlets and left-wing politicians condemned what occurred. Even controversial right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro declared it to be an insurrection and the worst thing to happen in America since 9/11, but ultimately, to appease the right-wing hivemind, his views of that fateful day have changed. Homegrown, the latest documentary by insert name, ponders what led us to that day. What occurred in the lead-up to January 6^th that made thousands of people storm the Capitol building? A true nightmare of an experience, Homegrown is a film that, as every minute passed, I hated what I saw unfold, and it’s utterly brilliant because of it.

We follow three “true patriots” and members of the Proud Boys. Chris Quaglin is a soon-to-be father from New Jersey, Randy Ireland, an air force veteran rallying like-minded conservatives in New York and Thad Cisneros, an activist in Texas, who wants to work with Black Lives Matter to bring unity. We follow these three men as they preach and garner support for Donald Trump in the lead up to the 2020 election and see the aftermath once the election is called. They believe their country is being stolen from them by the democrats, leading to the insurrection on January 6^th,2021.

Chris and Randy are the embodiment of I’m not racist, I have a black friend, with Chris it’s appropriate to say I’m not racist, my wife is Chinese. They are walking contradictions, saying one thing but doing another. Chris vandalises the Black Lives Matter mural that was on the road outside Trump tower, and reps apparel branded with Blue Lives Matter, but claims he is not a racist. Randy, when proclaiming the election is being stolen, he is called out for his anti-democratic and debatable authoritarian stance. He scolds this person that his grandfather thought against the Nazis and then him and his cronies harass and assault someone while police watch on and do nothing.

Thad is an individual who was swept up by right-wing politics, as he believed it provided him with value and a sense of community. Anyone can become engrossed when we encounter like-minded individuals; however, there will eventually be a turning point where you are either on the party train or cast off for not being aligned. Thad wishes to collaborate with Black Lives Matter because he recognises the injustices occurring and desires to create unity, to be someone who does the right thing, and to enact societal change. However, will the rest of the Proud Boys accept this, given that they oppose progressive groups like Black Lives Matter?

Throughout the film’s runtime, I was on the edge of my seat due to the sheer horror that unfolded. Homegrown is scarier than any horror film I have ever seen, as these individuals exist and are voting. Particularly in 2025, as we are not even two months into Trump’s second and hopefully last term – unless his “jokes” about a third term shift to attempts to amend the constitution – which has been filled with hatred and a shift towards authoritarianism, brewing since before the insurrection and perfectly showcased in Homegrown.

Michael Premo genuinely placed himself in uncomfortable and perilous situations to capture the footage we see in this documentary, particularly regarding the day of the insurrection. Observing Chris and other “true patriots” attempting to overturn the election will leave you in utter disbelief. Michael Premo illustrates all the insurrection’s grim realities, from individuals assaulting police officers as they attempt to storm the Capitol building, to those being pepper-sprayed by police, to individuals who were tragically injured during the violence. However, the true nightmare and ultimate hypocrisy emerges when we consider the fact that Donald Trump pardoned everyone arrested and convicted due to their actions on January 6th. Chris respects the boys in blue as long as they are not obstructing his coup, just as Donald Trump espouses law and order but will pardon those who assaulted police officers and attempted to undermine democracy.

However, the biggest question I constantly ask myself was, why was Homegrown? What were the intentions behind this project? If it is to showcase the hypocrisy of these true patriots and how this led to January 6^th, or is it trying to understand why they feel this disillusioned with their country? If it’s the former, I think it is an incredibly accurate and haunting picture of today’s America. If it’s the latter, it could be viewed as a distasteful film trying to bring understanding to hateful people and showcasing their toxic views. I believe it’s the former, but I still wonder if that was the intention.

Homegrown, if viewed as a showcase of the hypocrisy and the hateful intent of the Proud Boys and how good intention people can be swept up into right-wing ideologies, it is a truly horrifying portrayal of what should have been America’s past but is now its present again—a film I will never watch again but a film worth experiencing.

4 Stars

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