In his previous documentary 11/4/08 (VL-3/11), filmmaker Jeff Deutchman served up an on-the-ground overview of the 2008 U.S. presidential election, closely following the contest that ended in Barack Obama’s victory. It was a short and basically celebratory film, which he now follows up with a longer, more balanced look at the 2016 election of Donald Trump. Divided into three parts--"Morning," "Afternoon," and "Evening"--11/8/16 draws on interviews with more than a dozen supporters of Trump and Hillary Clinton to depict the shift in mood that happened when results began to trickle in, indicating the likelihood of an upset that would prove all of the polls wrong. Unfortunately, while the observations of a few interviewees--including an Alabama man casting his first ballot after serving three decades on death row before being exonerated and released--carry a fair amount of dramatic punch, and the comments of women excitedly contemplating the inauguration of the first female president are of historical interest, most of the talk here is partisan boilerplate, however likable the speakers might be. Still, Deutchman and his co-directors--each operating in a different region of the country--chose a good cross-section of the electorate, most of whom offer their views in sedate tones. Anyone looking for a sketch of how the country behaved on November 8, 2016--whether you rejoiced at the result or were horrified by it--will find this to be a solid if unremarkable record. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
11/8/16
(2017) 104 min. DVD: $59.95 ($350 w/PPR from edu.passionriver.com). Passion River (avail. from most distributors). Volume 33, Issue 3
11/8/16
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