JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE, documentary, rated PG, 96 minutes, on demand at Violet Crown and Center for Contemporary Arts, 3.5 chiles

In Selma, Alabama, in the mid-1960s, Black men and women who tried to register to vote first had to pass so-called literacy tests, with ridiculous questions like, “How many bubbles are on this bar of soap?” The odds were grossly — and intentionally — stacked against them. John Robert Lewis, then the young chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), had already been arrested 24 times while demonstrating for equal rights. But that didn’t stop Lewis, who served for more than three decades as a U.S. congressman, from leading a demonstration in 1965, during the Selma voting rights campaign. Lewis lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on July 17. He was at 80.

Into the midst of our own divisive era comes a timely documentary on a leader who fought for change. “His voice and his example are probably needed now as much as they’ve ever been since he was a young man,” says former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in Massachusetts Representative Ayanna Pressley adds, “We’re still in the civil rights movement because we’re still in the civil rights struggle.”

The film, directed by Dawn Porter, is a close-up look at the civil rights icon, past and present. It’s an important film, not only because it speaks to the current social and political climate, but because it underscores just how long African Americans have been fighting for true equality.

Using stock footage, Porter leads us on an odyssey, beginning with the civil rights movement and the start of Lewis’ career in public service, where he remained a dedicated representative of underserved demographics and communities. As chairman of the SNCC, we learn, he marched alongside Martin Luther

King Jr. He was a Freedom Rider who challenged segregation in the American South. He gave a stirring speech at the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest human rights rallies in U.S. history, calling for social revolution and for all Americans to “wake up.”

His early work in government included a stint in President Jimmy Carter’s administration as associate director of ACTION, the federal agency that oversaw the Peace Corps. As a representative of Georgia’s 5th Congressional District, he was opposed to armed interventions overseas.

The tally for the number of times he was in handcuffs stands at 45. Through it all, he remained a steadfast proponent of human rights, never wavering in his quest for justice. At least, that’s the decidedly uncritical portrait of Lewis we see in The film relishes attention on Lewis’ political career and, as such, is a compelling history lesson. Less consideration is devoted to his personal life.

While his actions may have been controversial, there’s never any doubt that Lewis is the film’s hero and not just its subject. His words will resonate with those on the streets fighting for change right now: “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, say something. Do something. Get in trouble. Good trouble. Necessary trouble.”

— Michael Abatemarco