Speak: A Rallying Cry for Youth Voices in an Age of Silence
Five teenagers with 10-minute speeches and the weight of the world on their shoulders – that's the essence of Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman's Speak, the most life-affirming documentary to emerge from Sundance 2025. Following high school oratory champions as they prepare for the National Speech and Debate Association Nationals, this 104-minute crowd-pleaser proves that Generation Z isn't just scrolling through doom – they're crafting solutions, one perfectly timed pause at a time.
What immediately strikes you about these five competitors – Esther Oyetunji, Mfaz Mohamed Ali, Sam Schaefer, Noah Detiveaux, and Noor Garoui – is their startling eloquence paired with disarming teenage authenticity. Between crafting speeches about anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they're still dealing with dating drama, TikTok fame (Mfaz has 3.3 million followers), and the universal anxiety of being seventeen. Executive producer Josh Gad, himself a two-time national champion from 1998-99, lends both credibility and context to this world where Oprah, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Brad Pitt once competed.
Tiexiera and Mossman wisely resist the typical competition documentary formula of manufactured tension. Instead, they find drama in the everyday dedication required for greatness – the endless rehearsals, the family sacrifices, the coaches who believe in their students with religious fervor. When Esther practices her speech about dignity in death while her teammates watch in reverent silence, you understand why she's the current national champion. When Mfaz channels her experience as a Sudanese immigrant into passionate advocacy for Muslim representation, you feel the urgency that drives her 12-hour practice sessions.
The film's greatest triumph is treating its subjects as fully formed individuals rather than inspirational objects. These aren't just "gifted kids" – they're young people using their platforms to tackle issues that adults have failed to address. Their speeches don't feel performative; they feel necessary. In a political climate where youth voices are dismissed as naive, Speak presents teenagers as the moral compass we desperately need. The fact that several subjects deal with direct threats and harassment for their activism only underscores their courage.
What could have been a simple feel-good story becomes something more urgent and vital. In showing us these five remarkable young people, Speak argues that the future might just be in capable hands after all.