This is a terrific, alchemical little film. The modest budget and lack of traditional action should work against it being of much interest, but it soon starts to superheat. The red team (called The Order of Columbus, led by ex-marine Kris Goldsmith) kicks off an increasingly dangerous set of insurgent attacks and social media stunts in dispute of the election. The blue team, led by Bullock and a cabinet of famous politicians and federal agents (Peter Strzok(!), Heidi Heitcamp, Linda Singh, to name just a few) are actually pretty awe inspiring as they scramble to provide a response that stabilizes a dangerous situation without damaging the public’s rights and freedoms.
The photography is by a small army of (I counted five) D.P.’s, but the presentation is uniformly great, whether in nicely staged fake news, the sweaty, strip-lit bunker, or the pieces to camera from the cast. It all has lots of punch, and it’s clear what’s going on. The minimalistic score by Pawel Mykietyn does a great job of injecting drama into what is effectively people talking.
“…does more with the documentary form than I thought possible.”
There are issues. The President’s options within the game seemed a Hobson’s choice between invoking the Insurrection Act or federalising the Police to restore order. Both are authoritarian? Any consideration of whether the protestors outside might actually be trying to help with reform were out of scope. A tweet by president Hotham “Trust our system. Go Home” seems bleakly funny in that respect.
Regardless, the film is sincere in its interest in the Posse Comitatus and Insurrection Acts upon which most of the simulation is based. It is very educational on their implications, making a good case for the latter’s redundancy.
Of course, whether you feel these security experts and political luminaries should simulate Iranian-style coups while five million strangers cross their border depends on your personal politics.
This film is a fascinating and dynamic investigation of American politics. It does more with the documentary form than I thought possible. Highly recommended.
"…a fascinating and dynamic investigation of American politics."
I’m new to the site, so forgive if this is a dumb question – but where can we find this film? I worked in emergency management for a brief time and participated in command post exercises – this film sounds very interesting to me.