Seized (Sharon Liese, 2026) 3½ out of 5 stars
On August 11, 2023, police in Marion, Kansas, raided not only the office of the local newspaper The Marion Record, but the home of its editor, Eric Meyer, which he shared with his 98-year mother, Joan. Together they both owned the publication, though sadly Joan (pronounced “Jo-ann”) died the next day, leaving Eric as sole majority owner. In Seized, the jaunty new documentary from director Sharon Liese (Transhood), we dive into the why and the how of this attack on a free press, with comic brio and moving sentiment joined at the cinematic hip.
There is a lot to unpack here, and Liese proves an able guide through the sometimes-baroque details. Given the size of the town—population 1890 and dwindling—everyone knows of the fiasco and its aftermath. They also have very strong opinions.
The movie’s stand-in for the audience is a young reporter from New York, Finn Hartnett, who takes a job at the Record in 2024, a year after the scandal. And scandal it was, the story picked up by nearby (larger) outlets and then spreading internationally. Law enforcement raiding the offices of a small-town paper? And for shady reasons? Do tell.
As Hartnett learns more about what came before, so do we. Meyer takes him—and by extension, us—under his wing, teaching him not only the business but the history. It’s a complicated one.
Not surprisingly, in a place where no one is a stranger, Meyer and the Record loom large, for better and for worse. Liese opens with mostly detractors, then comes full circle with folks who actually like what Meyer does, intrusive reporting and all. Back in 2023, however, neither the then-mayor nor police chief liked Meyer at all.
It would spoil the fun to spill all the beans, but rest assured that a good journalistic time is had, even if the movie often threatens to veer a little out of control in terms of tone and narrative. With an eye for entertainment as well as information, Liese uncovers the truth bit by bit, never so enamored of her subject that she won’t allow alternate viewpoints. That said, she is clearly on the side of press freedom.
Which, ultimately, is the central theme of the movie. It doesn’t matter if the current mayor, Mike Powers, and his constituents agree on Eric Meyer’s tactics. Who cares? The police cannot seize computers and cell phones of journalists who are looking into their own corruption (they can’t just seize those things, regardless). It’s a violation of the Constitution’s 4th Amendment. These may be increasingly lawless times, but even in conservative Kansas this is a step too far. So come for the show, stay for the sweet retribution.
Christopher Llewellyn Reed
Chris Reed is the editor of Film Festival Today. A member of both the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, Chris is, in addition, lead film critic at Hammer to Nail and the author of Film Editing: Theory and Practice.