The Anarchists episode 1 review: The most fascinating docuseries of the year

HBO Max has a brand new docu-series, The Anarchists, that released episode 1 on July 10. In this post, I share my review for the first episode to let you know if it’s worth checking out or skipping it.

The Anarchists series follows a community of radical expat misfits congregating in Acapulco, Mexico. Going into this episode, I had heard the term “Anarchist” before, but I never knew that it has become what it is today. So, I was intrigued to learn more about this community and how it came about.

The episode begins with a gathering of people, including kids, burning books around a campfire. Let me pause right here for a second. Of all the ways you could start the series, this was the perfect way to do it. I genuinely give director Todd Schramke and his team all the credit in the world because any doubts about engulfing myself in this show were wiped away in the show’s opening moments. We learn that this team of people is burning books because they aren’t fond of being told what to do. So any book you can imagine they were burning, from textbooks to books about law, were tossed in the fire.

The first of six episodes is titled “The Movement,” where we will get the story of how this entire group came together. First, we meet Jeff Berwick, the found of Anarchapulco, who is on stage at the most recent Anarchapulco annual gathering, talking about how they started with a small group of people and fast forward six years later, and they have grown tremendously.

As the episode progressed, we started to learn how the pieces of this movement came together. Understanding the who, what, when, and how, you can’t help but be sucked into this world. They don’t define “anarchy” under the typical definition, instead defining it as a “society being freely constituted without authorities or a governing body.”

When you have stories like this, you can’t help but understand that people will watch this and laugh. So one of the most challenging things director Todd Schramke had to do was present these people in a way that was authentic to their characters. I believe he did a great job of this, and I also didn’t find myself laughing at anyone interviewed or talked to. I don’t have to agree with their stance or how they feel, but I believed the words that came from these people’s mouths.

I won’t divulge much into the story of what we witness in episode 1, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. I was blown away by every aspect of this story as it unfolded. I was even more impressed by the direction, editing, and the ability to have this story told in the way that it is.

Overall, The Anarchists will hands down be the most talked-about documentary of the summer. It is a fascinating look at this group of people that will make you want the next episode as soon as you are done with the first.

Episode 1 of The Anarchist is available on HBO Max today, and the show will air weekly after Westworld for the next five weeks.