‘Flag Day’ Is an Unabashedly Positive Celebration of American Values

Where is Norman Rockwell when you need him? The 20th-century illustrator specialized in American iconography that was out-of-date before it appeared in print. A softly-stated gift for caricature was put in the service of a homespun nostalgia whose credulity was sorely tested by the Civil Rights Movement. What Rockwell would have made of the current fractious state of the country is, of course, unknown but there’s reason to think he might have smiled upon a documentary by the husband-and-wife team of Andrew and Melissa Shea, “Flag Day.In a short video provided to the press, the Sheas are seen sitting on the porch of a colonial home eager to make plain their intent as filmmakers: “We hope that you appreciate the message that we’re trying to convey about unity, dialogue and civility.” The release of the movie is timed to the title holiday — which, lest we forget, is June 14th — and offers an unabashedly positive take on America. No extra points given to readers who’ve guessed that the Sheas focused their cameras far from the maddening crowds of either coast.John Mellencamp’s rousing ode to middle-American virtue, “Small Town,” is among the songs featured on the film’s soundtrack. The thing is, Three Oaks, Michigan, which is the setting of the movie, barely qualifies as a village. A rural enclave with a population just shy of 1,400 residents, Three Oaks hosts the largest Flag Day celebration in the nation — though, as we learn in the film, this may be more of a boast than an actuality. What is certain is that the folks in this American microcosm take Flag Day seriously. So seriously, that the dynamic between red and green America has never been quite as fierce.That’s right: Red and green. Why, exactly, a rivalry exists between farmers who ride red tractors and those who ride green tractors is unclear, but the competitiveness between the respective parties is a matter of some honor. Dewey Foster, for one, marshals the green tractor brigade with notable intensity. There will be no spoiling as to who takes a parade prize in “Flag Day.” Let’s just take a deep breath, and wish Mr. Foster and his comrades God speed in the coming days.“Flag Day” — not to be confused with Sean Penn’s 2021 drama of the same name — is set out chronologically, following, as it does, the preparation for the parade, the parade itself, and its immediate aftermath. In terms of getting to know the sundry characters involved with the festivities, the film is considerably more scattershot in approach as the Sheas touch upon the lives of a curated array of multi-culti participants. That they decided not to identify the participants with intertitles is frustrating, and would that a more decisive hand had been at the editing board. Meander, this film does, even at just 75 minutes.Albert Brayboy Sr. and Albert Brayboy Jr. in ‘Flag Day.’There are moving stories told here, all of which speak to a common American purpose. Veterans play a significant part at Three Oaks, chief among them the Brayboys, Albert Sr. and Jr. Dad, who died after filming in December 2024, is under the care of his son, a gregarious soul with a disarming smile and an attitude that belies the considerable sacrifices he’s made. Elsewhere, Peruvian-born Marco Chavarry is a mercantile mainstay and invaluable community-booster, and Mya Thomas learns the hard way that elaborate tattoos do not suit the judges, not at all, of the Miss Three Oaks River Valley competition.The Sheas steer clear of overt political matters, though there are glimpses seen of the red and the blue. Perhaps the most striking moment is when an African-American candidate for sheriff, Jason Long, approaches a family to do some campaigning. The matriarch, draped in a Confederate flag sweater, flinches a bit in response, but Mr. Long soldiers on in the pursuit of elected office for the citizens of this, their town. The filmmakers couldn’t have asked for a more pointed moment in celebration of “Flag Day.”

‘Flag Day’ Is an Unabashedly Positive Celebration of American Values

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