A new documentary series will give viewers a chance to peek behind the curtains of the epicenter of some of the nation’s fiercest political wars: Bucks County.
The first two episodes of “Bucks County, USA” by Barry Levinson and Robert May recently debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.
Levinson is the Academy Award-winning director best known for “Rain Man,” “The Natural,” and “Good Morning, Vietnam.”
Doylestown Township residents Paul Martino and his daughter Vanessa, 15, are two of the documentary’s subjects. They spoke to DVJournal about their experiences.
Asked how she got involved in the documentary, Vanessa said “Mr. May, the producer, was interviewing my friend, Evi. And Evi told him about me.”
Sundance was “mostly fun,” she said. They met a lot of famous people at TheWrap party.
“It’s the biggest party at Sundance,” said Martino. TheWrap founder, Susan Waxman, was “super nice” to Vanessa and Evi and they were in a photo shoot for that publication.
The Martinos are Republicans, while Vanessa’s best friend Evi Casey, and her family, are Democrats. Vanessa and Evi, who remain friends despite their political differences, are reoccurring narrators, though much of the action centers on the adults, Martino said.
Martino, a venture capitalist, gained notoriety when he funded the Back to School PAC, which helped candidates who were pro-parents’ rights gain seats on school boards across the state in 2021. At that time, Martino noted that 64 percent of the candidates the PAC backed won.
But when Martino’s wife, Aarati, ran in 2023, the zeitgeist in the county had changed. She lost, along with others on the Republican slate, leading to the Central Bucks Board shifting back to Democratic control.
The two teenagers, now sophomores, met at a party the summer before seventh grade and became friends. Asked if their political differences interfered with their friendship, Vanessa said no.
“We’ve always been friends, and like no matter that we think differently about politics, we’re always going to remain friends,” said Vanessa. “It’s a stupid thing to be divided over.”
Asked if their parents get along, Vanessa said, “Well, my mom and her dad respect each other. But my dad and Evi’s mom seem to hate each other.”
Martino said Evi’s mother writes for “the progressive rag in town,” and she “writes the nastiest things about me.” But when they see each other in person, “We’re always polite.”
“But she literally called me an ‘a**hole’ in the movie…She really did.
“The big theme of the movie, Robert May, who made the film, is trying to get each side to understand that the other side are actually people and there’s a lot of filming that goes on that’s not political in each other’s houses. There’s a scene with me and Vanessa and the kids playing board games tother. And there’s a scene with (former school board president) Karen Smith, on the Democratic side, tending to her goats on her farm. So, the whole theme of this movie is about understanding the humanity of the people that you disagree with.
“And I’ve said this all along,” said Martino. “I’ve never not understood that. I think we, on the right, have always understood that. We disagree with Democrat policies. But the Democrats think we’re bad people. And it’s nice that this is maybe waking them up to we’re actually people and you can have a discussion with us and our kids can be friends and it’s not that big of a deal, guys.”
So far, two episodes of the documentary have been completed, and more will be filmed this spring, said Martino. “My guess is the earliest you will see it is in the fall.”
“When they first started filming us, it was kind of weird having a camera in your face and a dude on the edge of the seat asking questions,” said Vanessa. “But you slowly get more used to it.” Her brother, Zachary, 14, and their pet rabbit also make appearances in the film.
Vanessa’s favorite class is Spanish. She plays the piano and the cello and enjoys jazz. After getting a glimpse of Hollywood and the film industry, she’s not sure she wants to have a career there, although she enjoyed making a documentary for her social studies class last year.
“It seems really competitive, and you have to know people to really be in it. So, I don’t know. Maybe,” said Vanessa.
Most of the documentary series is more about the adults, though, said Martino.
“Vanessa and Evi are the literary device,” he said. “They’re the narrators. In a way, it’s through their eyes, through their friendship.”
The entire process of Aarati Martino deciding to run for office and her campaign are part of the film, he said. The film crew spent a lot of time with the families.
“Vanessa made Christmas presents for them,” said Martino. “That’s how often they were at our house.”
