The Brainwashing of My Dad (2015)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Touches You

Admirable film.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

This is strictly a liberal propaganda piece brought to you by far-left organizations such as Media Matters and DemocracyNow!. Not a single conservative interviewed or anything opened up for a dissenting opinion. The liberal bubble in all its pathetic glory. In one segment you can tell the director has never even listened to Rush Limbaugh. She also blames Rush for her father not wearing a seat belt when driving a car. No, I'm not making that up. The "big lie" told by FOX News is apparently that "no-go zones" in Europe don't exist. A simple YouTube search will prove that THEY DO. I mean 60 Minutes has a whole report on Swedish no-go zones. Just go on YouTube and type in "60 minutes no go zones" and you'll find their report. I guess 60 minutes is lying to you as well. Honestly, I laughed through the whole movie. It's particularly ironic that Media Matters is a STAPLE on MSNBC which has had to issue at least 10 apologies over the past 8 years and had multiple anchors and producers fired for perpetrating fake news and unabashed bias. This mockumentary actually makes Michael Moore look like Edward R. Murrow. Truly, truly, TRULY sad.

I'm baffled that this was even done. The fact that ANYONE, even the most staunch liberal, would say that conservatives in the media and conservatives who are "power-brokers" would need to "brainwash" anyone in America is troubling and almost surreal. It's not even an idea worth investigating, but Jen Senko did it anyway. I saw it on my Xfinity "On Demand" list of documentaries and thought it was a comedy when I pushed "start". If you can watch this, I'd invite you to do so. After you watch it, see if you can find a place to watch the MSNBC election night 2016 coverage with Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow. After watching the two video productions think about them and see if you can see where the concept of the US media having a "liberal bias" and see if you find it comical that Ms. Senko spent the money and took the time to make this "documentary". The MSNBC coverage, that was meant to be a coronation of Hillary Clinton, shows in the most tangible and in your face way that "liberal bias" is not only in existence, but it's alive and VERY WELL.Also, think about this... when looking for documentaries LIKE THIS, there aren't any and that is for a reason. Because the entire concept is laughable.Let's all "Make America Great Again".

Firstly, this movie was excellent in terms of getting Americans to start thinking about the media, ideas, rhetoric and emotional tone we are steeped in on a daily basis. I have been more and more disappointed in the media since the mid-80's, but especially since the 90's forward.This documentary tells us why, and surprise, it is almost the same as everything else in this country and the world that have gone sour ... the political prioritizing of having every facet of our society taking over by money, corporations and billionaires. This movie does a good job of covering that in a broad sense. I always thought it really hit home when they struck down the "Fairness Doctrine" which I think we desperately need in the media if we are to foster a culture where people can think for themselves ... because otherwise what goes freedom or speech mean if all we can do is parrot someone else's words?The weaker part of this documentary, and the reason I could not award it a 10/10 is the story of the family and the Dad who turned into a right- winger. We don't really get any clear sequence of events leading to the documentarian's father and what he was like, what drove him, what changed him and what ultimately changed him back.By the time he is interviewed it is clear he has some kind of dementia, and pieces of his conversation are being cherry picked to back the narrative of his "brainwashing". I have had relatives too that have this same problem. The turning of one's thoughts into right wing anger is very depressing when you like someone and all they can do is to push their ideas that they get from radio or FOX News without any critical thinking at all.I didn't feel it was very nice or respectful to turn one's father into a puppet for the making of a documentary, particularly if there is no real proof or theory as to how he got to where he was. They speculated it was the long drives to work listening to the captive audience of drivers alone in their cars. But many jobs themselves have pressures for people to either buy into right wing rhetoric, or to remain silent about criticizing those who criticize. For me there were many reasons not to appreciate the story of the father.I also was a bit disappointed to hear certain left wing websites recommended as the cure for these right wing sites. The whole problem is that only people who agree with each other are on specific sites, so many of the Left wing sites are just as bad as right wing sites ... they just do not have as many and as much money. But the intolerable part of both sides is that it is impossible for anyone who does not want to argue and name-call to participate in these forums ... which we should be able to do, and our form of government really demands.I don't know there are any answers here, but there are some suggestions and a lot of thought provoking information, which is great. We need more of this kind of documentary. I recommend this documentary and that all Americans begin to understand how their country has been evolved around them to cut most of them out from knowing what is going on and what they should do about it.10/10

This film should be required viewing for all U.S. voters for they will understand just how insidious, wide ranging and effective the right wing media machine (e.g., Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, conservative talk radio etc.)has been on the cultural landscape for the past 20 years.Beyond the expected debunking of what we know is a sham -- Fox New's "Fair and Balanced" misreporting and Limbaugh's outlandish comments -- Ms. Senko's film takes us beyond the dictated talking points of Fox President's Roger Ailes to something much deeper and chilling. The skill of these propagandists and their toxic effect on ordinary citizens (as seen through the lens of her own father) is an eye opener. The ending was especially moving. See it for yourself.