Beyond the left-right binary, it’s a profoundly localist film. Bedford Falls is a place where people aren’t just widgets, but names and faces. The bonds of genuine community help to soften the hard edges of life. Most of us want that for ourselves. (It’s also a film about accepting the limitations that community imposes, something we, like George Bailey, tend to find harder). What we see in the film that so many of are looking for is a sense that an ordinary life is worthy of honor, that money and power aren’t everything, that all of us are in it together. In other words, it’s a movie with a profound sense of the importance of solidarity.

Reflecting on the difficulties and joys of community a lot lately, and enjoyed this twitter thread about why “It’s A Wonderful Life” still resonates.