Jen Senko's feature length documentary "The Brainwashing of my Dad" explores how right-wing media transformed her father from a loving, accepting father to an angry conservative. The documentary shows the creation and popularization of right-wing media from the role of Roger Ailes, the founder and former CEO of Fox News, in the presidential campaign of Richard Nixon to Hillary Clinton admonishing the "vast right-wing conspiracy" against her husband President Bill Clinton in 1998.
The film couples authors and other experts on conservative media with lay-people, who she interviews via Skype, that speak about how their loved ones have been affected by right-wing media. Senko weaves these testimonials of individuals from around the country with her continuos narrative that explores how organizations such as Fox News and individuals like Rush Limbaugh gained millions of followers. While the film's continuos historical narrative is compelling, the most captivating aspect of the documentary lies within the short statements given by individuals via Skype.
After the film-showing in Ithaca, NY, Senko — speaking via Skype — said that she got in touch with many of these individuals through her Kickstarter campaign. The use of the Skype interviews added a layer of humanity to the film that easily could have become overly focused on the politics behind the creation of the fanatic right-wing media.
The film does largely interview individuals from the left-side of the political spectrum. The Hollywood Reporter criticized the film by stating Senko "listens mostly to people who agree with her." However, many of the voices Senko focuses upon in her independent, crowdfunded documentary are one's that are often drowned out in mainstream media by the likes of Limbaugh, Fox News and friends.
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