How to Watch ‘Girls State,’ Your New Favorite Documentary
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Back in 2020, a documentary called Boys State earned major buzz, collecting awards and festival jury prizes like infinity stones. The documentary, from filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, followed a group of 1,000 teenage boys (nightmare fuel) as they built a representative government from the ground up at a Texan leadership program called, you guessed it, Boys State. The film followed four young men running for leadership positions at Boys State. The youth-centric political experiment proved insightful, illuminating American divisions on a more digestible scale, and this year, it’s back for round two.
Girls State comes from the team behind Boys State, and similarly follows a group of teenage girls in Missouri playing out a week-long democratic experiment at Girls State. Like its predecessor, the film premiered at Sundance Film festival in January of 2024, and lands on Apple TV+ on April 5.
For those of us lamenting the increasing demographic of the American politic, Girls State is a cold glass of water. Sick of hearing baby boomers debate your human rights? Give these teenagers the mic.
What is Girls State?
The programs at the subject of Boys State and Girls State are the American Legion Boys State and American Legion Auxiliary Girls State, programs aimed at high school juniors interested in learning the mechanics of American government. These programs exist in every state across the country and have been in practice since 1937.
The participating subjects are nominated by their high schools and invited to participate in a big game of mock politics, dividing themselves into cities and political parties, pushed to work together to solve issues of policy and progress.
How can I watch Girls State and Boys State?
Boys State is available to stream on Apple TV+, which will also play host to the sister film Girls State starting April 5.
Not sold on Apple TV+’s $9.99 monthly fee? Here’s what else awaits you at the end of checkout. In addition to modern classics like Ted Lasso and The Morning Show, Apple TV+ is making big moves with new programming like Palm Royale starring Kristin Wiig, the second season of the Maya Rudolph-helmed comedy Loot, and the forthcoming sophomore season of Severance, a workplace dystopian drama starring Adam Scott.
With all of this and more at your fingertips, we’d say $9.99 is a measly price to pay. That said, you could always fit Girls State into a 7-day free trial. We’ll look the other way.
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