‘Speak.’ Review: A Rousing Documentary About Five Teenagers Vying to Win an Oratory Competition
Premiering at Sundance, Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman’s documentary is crowd-pleasing entertainment in the vein of sports movies.
January 24, 2025

Directed by Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman, “Speak.” is the type of documentary one can easily imagine being adapted into a dramatic feature down the road. It has a linear and easily digestible narrative, vivid and empathetic protagonists and a format that unspools like a sports film, depicting the triumph and disappointment of competition. Following a year in the life of five American teenagers as they prepare and perform to win a national oratory contest, “Speak.” is so rousing and audience-friendly, it plays like the nonfiction equivalent of “Bend It Like Beckham” or “A League of Their Own.”