Reporter: Jacob A. Laybolt
Author Rating: 7/10
“Fahrenheit 11/9” is a political documentary directed by Michael Moore, released on September 21st,2018. Originally produced by The Weinstein Company (prior to the allegations in October of 2017), the film intended to be a sit-rep on the current political climate in America. Released as a spiritual successor to his other film, “Fahrenheit 9/11”, Moore presents a similar approach by showcasing issues relevant to the topic of the film. However, in this respect, 11/9, is not as coherent in its dissection.
The film opens with a montage of false predictions about the 2016 election, stating the extremely high chances of Hillary Clinton’s election; this immediately cuts to live CNN coverage wherein Donald Trump wins grand swaths of electoral districts, and has his face projected onto the Empire State building. Cue the date of the winner’s announcement, and the title of the movie, “Fahrenheit 11/9”. The sequence is the best component of the film, for accurately showing the low level of credence that was given to Trump’s campaign during the cycle and incriminating the media for helping the election’s turnout.
Throughout the movie, Moore provides firsthand interviews with many political agents and figures such as John Podesta and Bernie Sanders. Moore also digs out archival footage of a joint interview between Trump and himself on The Roseanne Show in 1998. These are just a few names who are given a critical lens. Even Hillary Clinton is subjected to some moderate criticism on her track record and cultural dissonance. One figure in particular, who was surprising to see in the cross-hairs of the film, was President Barack Obama, specifically with his visit to Flint, “tasting” the water to prove its non-toxicity.
The segments surrounding the water crisis however, could have been their own film, and are difficult to segue between with other topics investigated. An example where this is prevalent is the overarching transitions between the water crisis in Flint Michigan, to the nation-wide Teachers Strike, which is then followed by the Parkland Shooting, and then the False Nuclear Strike Alarm in Hawaii. After having watched this film twice I can say that the film is strangely arranged to jump back and forth between important, but unconnected issues. If there is a connection to be made, Moore fails to make it made directly noticeable. The composition of the issues would have seen better fit for a Netflix mini-docuseries à la “Making a Murderer” or “Dirty Money”, an investigative series on modern day affluence and corruption. The end product Moore has released is a well probed but slightly incongruent series of important clips, as if there were a handful of movies Moore wanted to make, but eventually settled on a compilation of sorts.
If you are looking for a semi-journalistic, semi-comedic, accurate,report on the state of the presidency, and Michael Moore’s personal interpretation of the events, then look no further. However, if you are expecting a high-grade masterpiece documentary, then this may not be for you.Regardless, as far as theatrical releases go, it is certainly refreshing to see a documentary at the cinema (despite the box office performance), as well as the comfort of knowing that Michael Moore is still actively honing his craft. I would encourage anyone interested in politics to check it out.