​‘Speak.’ to open 2025 Fargo Film Festival

By Greg Carlson

gregcarlson1@gmail.com

The opening night showcase of the 2025 Fargo Film Festival is Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman’s excellent documentary feature “Speak.” The movie premiered during the Sundance Film Festival as part of the U.S. Documentary Competition section and now seeks wider distribution while it screens in select festivals. Many locals already know of the film’s special community connection. One of the five central subjects is current Moorhead High School senior Sam Schaefer, who is joined by four other teenagers competing in the National Speech and Debate Association tournament that will potentially see one of them crowned the victor in the Original Oratory category.

Tiexiera and Mossman alternate between the preparation that goes into the high-pressure and high-stakes preliminary speech meets and biographical profiles introducing personal details for each of the five students. Along with Schaefer, who addresses issues of sexuality and experiences of being othered, we meet Noah Chao-Detiveaux, Noor Garoui, Mfaz Mohamed Ali and Esther Oyetunji. All are, to one degree or another, gregarious and comfortable in the spotlight (which, one supposes, makes sense for elite forensics participants). The filmmakers connect viewers to the larger support systems of friends, family, and the dedicated teachers, mentors and coaches who help develop polished and poised performances.

“Speak.” will remind cinephiles of movies like Jeffrey Blitz’s 2002 documentary “Spellbound,” which tracked eight kids through the 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Blitz described the influence of “And Then There Were None” on his film, and the same thought could be applied to the way that Tiexiera and Mossman naturally build suspense as we get closer and closer to the final rounds. The filmmakers excel at aligning the viewer with the highs/lows and the energy and adrenaline experienced by the subjects. Better yet, "Speak." is an emotionally stirring testament to love, empathy and genuine care for one another. It is also an important antidote and reasoned response to the current climate of fear, anger, and cruelty perpetuated by our so-called leaders.

As the official NSDA site explains, “Oratory is not simply an essay about the topic — it is a well researched and organized presentation with evidence, logic, emotional appeals and sometimes humor to convey a message.” As expressed in the documentary, frequently selected topics in the current incarnation of Original Oratory and the depth with which those topics are explored, will astonish many viewers who may have at one time participated in high school or undergraduate speech. Some, like Noah’s complex deconstruction of death-with-dignity and right-to-die philosophy as viewed through the personal lens of his mother’s suicide, are bold and unapologetic in their embrace of controversy.

Others, like Sam’s insightful examination of the harmful falsehoods perpetuated by nostalgic fantasies of the “good old days,” launch toward a sophisticated critique of the bullies who seek to erase and dismantle the histories of those who aren’t conservative, white and straight. Esther, who could make history as the first three-time consecutive category champion in the modern NSDA tournament (which dates to 1931), also chooses a politically-oriented path, exposing the hypocrisy of representatives who claim to protect children but do nothing to enact real change. The superior quality of these speeches and the humanity and compassion of their authors offer us a sense of hope that these kids are making a real difference.

“Speak.” screens on Tuesday, March 18 at 7 p.m. at the Fargo Theatre. Sam Schaefer and Rebecca Meyer-Larson will join Fargo Film Festival host Kendra O’Brien for a Q & A following the movie. Tickets are on sale at www.fargotheatre.org and the Fargo Theatre box office.