It follows five students who prepare for and participate in high school speech and debate competitions, specifically the 2024 National tournament in Des Moines, Iowa.
[1] The students' lives and speeches cover a range of topics from Anti-LGBTQ legislation to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
By 2023, Tiexiera joined the production as Mossman's co-director:Jen and I wanted to make a film that transcended the 'competition doc' genre in a way that felt immersive and intimate in the lives of our teenage subjects outside of competition.
[4]Of the five students highlighted, IndieWire wrote: "All heavy topics in their own way, each pulls at our hearts with great vigour, whether it be through tears or righteous anger."
[5] The Hollywood Reporter found that it was a "pleasure" to follow the lives of the highlighted students as they navigated the trials and tribulations of debate: "By the time Speak stirringly gets to the final competition demonstrating that its subjects were well chosen, you'll be as proud of them as if they were your own children.