One Nation Under

One Nation Under proposes a reexamination of the famous—and controversial—Pledge of Allegiance to the United States flag through a reimagined vox populi approach. Premiering at the Slamdance Festival in 2020, amid Donald Trump’s chaotic tenure in the White House, with a global pandemic yet unforeseen, this short film by Justin McHugh presents its interviewees from an aerial angle, their heads and gazes tilted upward—presumably toward the familiar Stars and Stripes floating atop nearby skyscrapers. Yet, on screen, these individuals, all from what are considered visible minorities or different cultural communities, remain silent, their expressions subdued. It’s through the voiceover that we hear their testimonies, each speaking about their existence on American soil. The chasm between their personal experiences—ranging from a newly arrived immigrant with hope and apprehension to an ordinary man’s pride in the supposed freedom promised by the American dream—is both vast and disquieting.

The film’s title lingers in mind as these voices unfold: “One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” It quickly becomes clear why the filmmaker chose to stop the title at the word "under," a choice that both conceals the controversial part of the 1892 pledge (with the mention of God only added in 1954!) and unmistakably draws attention to what has been intentionally left out. This omission draws attention to what’s left unsaid, allowing the viewer to question the very pledge itself. The film’s interviewees appear small before the distant, dominating flag—almost hypocritical, in light of the pledge half-hidden within the title. The towering buildings, tightly framed and shot from angles that press them close together, create a sense of confinement and accumulation, even as the individuals hold relatively neutral expressions. If the flag is clearly visible to all these ordinary citizens, one might ask how the flag—or rather, the state it represents—sees them, often overlooked from the heights of its many urban pedestals.

Claire Valade
Critic and programmer