SXSW Film Festival: ‘Kid Candidate’ Review

Kid Candidate (a Gun Powder & Sky Production) tells the story of Hayden Pedigo, a 24-year old experimental musician and his unlikely run for city council in Amarillo, Texas after his Harmony Korine inspired spoof campaign video went viral.

Our film kicks off with the story of how the journey for Hayden Pedigo’s run for city council. The backstory is an interesting one but what sticks with you is his upbringing. Hayden’s parents were great to him, and they consistently told him he was a failure and that going against the grain wasn’t right. You can see how much he struggled with this and how much it hurt him.

He used that criticism from them to run for office, and it’s even noted that he ran to spite them in a way. He started to take it seriously and notice that he could take advantage of a broken system. We see in counties, cities, and states across the country that our system is set up for the rich folks, and he played on that.

One of the things in this documentary that hits close to home for the newer generation is we are tired of the watered-down politics. We all know that it’s a cash grab and the ones with the cash are the ones in office. The country has been run this way for countless years, and Hayden running without taking a dime shows that it is possible.

As we inch closer and closer to the election, the path is starting to take a toll on Hayden. He is mentally, psychically, and emotionally exhausted. He has the odds stacked against him in the worst ways and it’s noticeable because the community wasn’t very welcoming down the stretch. The ending goes about as expected, but the journey here and what this will do for the future will be the most significant impact.

‘Kid Candidate’ is a remarkable look at how one kids act of courage will influence generations to come.

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