Occupy Unmasked

The late Andrew Breitbart, right-wing blogger and general provocateur, is the chief narrator of Stephen K. Bannon's documentary, which claims to be a searing exposé of the forces behind the Occupy Wall Street movement. Together with like-minded commentators—including David Horowitz and Brandon Darby—Breitbart argues that the whole operation is a conspiracy, orchestrated by a cabal of left-leaning, America-hating ideologues using tactics taught by arch-villain Saul Alinsky—with many of the participants (to use terms Breitbart enunciates with obvious contempt) “union employees” or “community organizers.” Most of the diehard Occupiers are scruffy radical riffraff according to Breitbart, while the clean-cut college types who join them are innocent dupes drawn in by a misplaced sense of idealism. As evidence for this thesis, Bannon offers footage of the most obnoxious protestors he encountered while prowling the streets, interspersed with shots of others he fingers as the Machiavellian puppet masters—all frenziedly delivered to emphasize how urgent it is to save capitalism from such dangerous demagogues. (Breitbart is especially incensed over demonstrators who appeared at the homes of bankers, “terrorizing” their families.) Occupy Wall Street is actually a fine subject for a balanced, thoughtful documentary, but this is not it. Like so many activist films made today on both sides of the political divide, it's little more than shrill propaganda that plays to the emotions of people who already share the filmmaker's point of view, but will have little appeal for anyone else. Not recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)