Frank Suarez (Randy Vasquez) messed up: Caught between his plans and his desires, his wife Cassandra (Marilyn Sanabria) catches him entangled with a co-worker in his office on the same day she planned to tell him about her cancer diagnosis. She doesn’t have long to live. She manages to forgive Frank, not wanting the resentment to consume her soul so close to the end of her life.
Their daughter Elise (Fernanda Moya), however, cannot forgive Frank for his trespasses. She believes Frank was the true cause of her mother’s demise, that cancer may have faded or been fought off if Cassandra hadn’t faced such a betrayal. In his own way, Frank agrees. He drowns himself in bourbon.
It is in the middle of these dramatic events that Frank has a chance to find some redemption: an interview with Far-right presidential candidate Edward Ashe (Rick Ravanello). Frank jumps on the chance and finds that neither the interview nor redemption will be as simple as they seem.
With a mythologized introduction and a smattering of quotes from Thomas Jefferson and the Bible and suicidal ideation being the first scenes of the movie, I expected much more from this film. In the end, such attempts to mythologize and connect the story to American patriotism seemed over serious.
This movie would have been much more enjoyable had it simply accepted the campiness of the situation. The direction and casting seemed extremely weak as well. There are some moments of genuine expression and heart-wrenching scenarios by Randy Vasquez and Marilyn Sanabria and Rick Ravanello receives far too little screen time for his outstanding performance. The other characters are forgettable, stilted, and poorly written.
In that way, this film can seem to drag on in several different directions. I believe this In The Defense Against Tyranny would have been stronger as a serious drama about a family or a stand-alone political thriller. Together, the two plotlines form a rambling, poorly executed idea with no real structure. Weak direction and poor editing make it hard to determine when the acting is bad or just misdirected.
This oversight (or lack thereof) made Frank Suarez’s story seem far too farcical and melodramatic, making it a poor choice for drama film collections on library shelves. In The Defense Against Tyranny is an interesting perspective on several socio-political issues, but that perspective doesn’t save it from its flaws. This film is fair and a strong optional purchase.
What academic library shelves would this title be on?
College librarians may want to consider this film more than public librarians, less as a political drama and more as a chance for film students in the future to analyze the thoughts, fears, and beliefs of some contemporary American voters through film.
What are some examples of ways this documentary can be used in a Public Performance setting?
It may make an excellent choice for political drama library programming in areas with dense Democratic political support.
What kind of film collection would this title be suitable for?
Those working on collection development should consider In The Defense Against Tyranny for Latino film collections.