New documentary series examines the personal side of political division in ‘Bucks County, USA’

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A new five-part documentary series spotlights political tensions in Central Bucks School District during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, delving into the impact of the conflict on community members’ lives and personal relationships.

Producer and director Robert May said that the project grew out of a desire to explore political division in the United States, and the difficulties many people across the country face in talking across and about their differences.

May said they had initially considered telling the story across the country, but producer and director Barry Levinson suggested taking inspiration from “Our Town,” the play and film centered on a single community.

“We decided we should search for one town, and try to do the story there,” May said.

That led them to Philadelphia’s suburbs, where they focused on battles over school board policies related to COVID-19, book bans, LGBTQ Pride flags and more in one of the most politically divided counties in the country.

All of the main subjects of the documentary support the project, May said, and are “working to try to bridge the gap among themselves.”

Over the course of the project, the filmmakers saw firsthand the power of allowing people to speak without interrupting them or immediately debating them, May said. The team spent hundreds of hours in the county, with the people they followed in the film.

That time and dedication allowed them to connect with people on both sides of the conflict “as human beings.”

“If people can see that that can work, you can listen to someone, you can have an opposing point of view, it’s not like you’re going to change your political position, [but] perhaps you can have a respectful conversation back,” he said. “That’s really what we hope for the community and for others who watch it around the country.”

“We’re all very angry, all of us,” he added. “It doesn’t matter what side you’re on, we’re all very angry. And when we stop listening to one another, when we stop having conversations with one another, that anger is just going to get worse and worse.”

May acknowledged that to communicate “with humanity” across political differences takes a “constant effort,” — one that some people featured in the documentary are continuing to make.

Two teachers featured in the documentary, who have opposing political viewpoints, forged a friendship while traversing the conflict, May said. They are now offering to facilitate “table conversations” that Bucks community members can sign up for to gather in person to discuss the issues brought up by the film.

“That idea was suggested by these teachers,” May said. “It wasn’t something that we put out there, and there’s this whole broader conversation to have across the country because we want to see people in other communities do exactly the same thing.”

The docuseries’ website includes a discussion guide, May said, that allows people in any community to have similar conversations.

The team may schedule more screening and events in the region, May said, as universities and theaters have reached out with interest in hosting screenings of the documentary after the cancellation of a planned event hosted by WHYY and Bucks County Community College made headlines last week.

The college said in a statement that it made the decision to cancel the screening and a Q&A led by Judy Woodruff, a former anchor and managing editor of “PBS Newshour,” after it received “information that raised concerns about our ability to provide a safe environment for campus visitors.”

The event was moved to the Hiway Theater in Jenkintown, where “plenty of conflict was on display” during the Q&A, May said. He noted that, in the rush to reschedule, he and organizers didn’t establish the ground rules for the discussion as well as they could have.

Ultimately, he hopes people are able to engage with the “entertaining” parts of the series as well as its broader themes.

“When we judge people, when we first see them, … we have no idea what it’s like to walk in their shoes,” May said. “And I think it was really great that people allowed us to see their shoes, and perhaps see what it’s like to walk in their shoes. … It was very rewarding.”

May urged viewers to watch all five episodes to “completely understand the arc.”

“Bucks County, USA” airs nationally on PBS and locally on WHYY, premiering at 9 p.m. EST on Sept. 21. The series is directed by May and Levinson, and produced by May, Levinson and Jason Sosnoff.