Swing State Ohio

As the 2008 presidential campaign heats up, this D.I.Y. documentary looks back at the 2004 campaign's excessive focus on Ohio as a make-or-break battleground. Despite the lack of official press credentials, award-winning filmmaker Jed Wolfington (and his fellow camera operators) managed to snare a few heavy-hitter interviews (most notably with Senator Edward M. Kennedy), but for the most part Swing State Ohio focuses on local grassroots organizing efforts and Ohio voters. On the grassroots side, the filmmakers discovered that the Republican effort was better organized and more focused than their Democratic counterpart. As for the voters, the people either despised George W. Bush or they despised John Kerry (voting against a candidate rather than wholeheartedly embracing the other). Regardless of political affiliation, lingering questions of alleged fraud at the polls—raised after the final tally gave the state's electoral votes to Bush—left a sour residue in everyone's mouth. Swing State Ohio is hardly a sophisticated production (the filmmakers rely too heavily on their self-pinned tag of “citizen journalists” to justify the lack of polish), but the legion of political junkies may be interested in revisiting this well-worn story, making this inexpensive documentary a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)