An insightful doc about the supporters of Donald Trump before the election.
American Chaos
Grade: B
Director: James D. Stern
Cast: Donald Trump
and his voters
Rating: R
Runtime: 1 hr 30 min
By: John DeSando
For liberals it’s tough not to feel depressed after seeing James D. Stern’s troubling documentary, American Chaos. It puts forward in solid talking-head form, mostly in the months before the 2016 election, the reasons Donald Trump won the presidency as disclosed in part by West Virginians who believe his promise of closing borders and bringing back coal.
For conservatives American Chaos shows a solid Trump base, sometimes wildly irrational though it may be. The hope that Trump will triumph again in 2020 underlies the entire documentary with an optimism that should scare liberals to their core.
Stern does an admirable job of letting the Trumpites trumpet the goodness of their leader, while Stern is less so virtuous in allowing their most deadly accusations go unchallenged, such as suggesting Hillary Clinton should get the death penalty without any proof that she deserves it. If for mothing else American chaos shows the deep hatred and distrust of Hillary and her ilk by the working class.
However, Stern, not a strong interviewer, promised these blue collars to have their say, and he does that. As we anticipate Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9, perhaps the liberals will recover some optimism. Until then, the white, rural conservatives have it.
John DeSando, a Los Angeles Press Club first-place winner for National Entertainment Journalism, hosts WCBE’s It’s Movie Time and co-hosts Cinema Classics. Contact him at JDeSando@Columbus.rr.com
