The documentary begins with a narration from Jen Senko, the director, recounting the earliest memories she has of her father, the main subject of the film, played over a series of home videos. He was described as a respectful, kind-hearted man who “had no bad words about anyone” and no strong political views, referring to himself as a “non-political Kennedy Democrat”. During the 60s, when Reagan came in, he started transforming into a bitter, angry man with strong conservative views, followed his discovery of talk radio, reported by his family as the only modification in his routine that could have prompted his change in behaviour. “It was like he was in a cult,” Senko said, explaining the use of the word “brainwash” in the documentary’s title.…show more content… Additionally, the film goes through successive US presidents, Nixon, Reagan, Bush and Clinton and how each administration helped shape the media. Events that helped develop current media tactics that influence opinions are detailed in the film as well, such as Reagan developing a political vocabulary that made traditional conservative economic ideas sound appealing to ordinary people and Nixon heeding the advice of Roger Ailes on how to communicate ideas with the people, ultimately winning him the presidency. The documentary tells the story of Frank Senko, interwoven with interviews with experts and people with similar experiences as well as a history of American politics and the media. By the end of the film, Frank Senko had slowly reverted back to his old self after he stopped watching Fox News when his wife programmed their new remote and unsubscribed his email from right-wing sites. When he was no longer flooded by misleading information from right-wing media sources, he seemed to be happier and more tolerant of what was around
