Film
Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed
- Drama
- Light-hearted
This 75-minute documentary captures Shirley Chisholm's audacious 1972 presidential campaign—a groundbreaking, fiercely independent run that challenged both the Democratic establishment and her own party. Shot with intimate immediacy, it's a portrait of principle under pressure, showing a brilliant politician operating without institutional backing or conventional resources. Essential viewing for anyone interested in American politics, civil rights history, or how dissent actually works.
If you liked this
The Right Stuff1983
Chronicles America's space program through the eyes of those who dared to go where nobody had gone before. Like Chisholm, it's about individuals refusing to accept the limits imposed on them by institutions and gatekeepers.
But It's three-and-a-half hours, and the focus is primarily on white male astronauts, which may feel like a different kind of establishment narrative.
Hidden Figures2016
Traces Black women mathematicians who were essential to NASA's success but systematically erased from history. Shares Chisholm's urgency about making visible the people institutions tried to render invisible.
But It softens some edges for mainstream appeal—the real story of institutional racism is sharper than what the film sometimes shows.
All the Way2016
LBJ navigates the passage of the Civil Rights Act while managing his own party and ego. Shows the inside baseball of legislative power in a way that mirrors Chisholm's struggle with Democratic gatekeepers.
But It centers a white man's perspective on racial progress, which is a different lens than watching Chisholm tell her own story.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Salt of the Earth1954
Made during an era of repression, it shares Chisholm's refusal to be silenced and its commitment to showing organized resistance from people the establishment tried to marginalize.
An anti-establishment Western made during the McCarthy era, following a strike organized by Mexican-American miners. Audaciously filmed despite industry blacklisting; it's about people the system wanted to silence finding their own power.
But It's a 1950s film with the production values and politics of that moment—some will find it dated in craft and argument alike.
More like this (7)
The Queen of Versailles2012
A documentary about a woman of enormous will and determination navigating a world that resists her ambitions. The scale and stakes are wildly different, but the portrait of unstoppable personality is oddly resonant.
But It's a cautionary tale about excess, and some may find it difficult to sympathize with its subject.
Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches2022
Uses archival readings and visual essay to explore a Black American political figure's oratory and ideas. Similar commitment to foregrounding voice and intellect as the primary political weapon.
But It's essayistic and contemplative rather than narrative-driven, which requires a different kind of attention than campaign documentaries usually demand.
Woman of the Year1942
Examines the 1992 election as a turning point for women in politics, with particular attention to how media framed their candidacies and the limits of institutional change.
But The production values and pacing feel dated, and it's harder to find than more recent political documentaries.
Shirley2020
A fictionalized account of Shirley Jackson's writing process during a particular summer, exploring how a brilliant woman navigates creative and personal autonomy in an indifferent world.
But It's deliberately claustrophobic and slow, and the connection to politics is indirect—it's more about interior life than external struggle.
13th2016
Ava DuVernay's sweeping documentary traces the history of incarceration as a continuation of slavery. Provides crucial historical context for understanding the systems Chisholm was fighting against.
But It's dense and covers a lot of ground—watching it requires emotional stamina and willingness to sit with difficult material.
The Defiant Ones2017
A four-part series following Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones as they reflect on Led Zeppelin. Explores how people who refused to follow conventions created their own authority.
But The connection is more thematic than direct, and it's very focused on rock music mythology rather than political history.
Sweet Smell of Success1957
Both dissect how institutional power operates behind closed doors, though one celebrates integrity and the other luxuriates in its opposite.
A noir about power, corruption, and influence in mid-century Manhattan, told through brilliant, poisonous dialogue. While dark where Chisholm is principled, it shares her conviction that understanding how power actually works is the key to survival.
But It's cynical, misogynistic, and morally bleak in ways that may feel deliberately distant from Chisholm's vision of a better world.
People
Cast
Shirley ChisholmSelf
Directing
- Shola LynchDirector
Production
- Shola LynchProducer