Better This World

How did two boyhood friends from Midland, Texas, wind up arrested on terrorism charges at the 2008 Republican National Convention? “Better This World” follows the journey of David McKay, 22, and Bradley Crowder, 23, from political neophytes to accused domestic terrorists, with a particular focus on the relationship they developed with a radical-activist mentor in the six months leading up to their arrests. A dramatic story of idealism, loyalty, crime, and betrayal, the film insightfully examines the War on Terror and its impact on civil liberties and political dissent in post-9/11 America. Variety enthuses: “‘Better This World’ delivers the kind of case study, rich in national and personal dimensions, that would have made the New Journalists of the ’60s and ’70s swoon.”