The Front Runner
I remember seeing a lot of trailers for The Front Runner and wanting to see it, but then it never seemed to actually appear in cinemas. So, I was glad to get the chance to watch it last night at a political film night evening with some friends.
It's the story of Gary Hart running for US president in 1988 and the scandal that turned the focus of his campaign away from political issues and towards his private life. I'd never heard of Hart before seeing the film trailers, but he was apparently the front runner to be president in 1988 before everything went wrong.
Clearly, there's a statement about current US politics in a film about an intelligent, attractive Democrat, who is much more interested in debating the issues than talking about himself. And it's an interesting exploration of how the focus of the press has changed over the years in relation to reporting about politicians.
There are a lot of very clever, very subtle moments that make this film compelling, as well as a lot of very difficult questions about personal ethics and whether they should have an impact on a politician's effectiveness as a leader. We had a lengthy and fascinating discussion after the film, which I also really enjoyed.
It has also cemented Mamoudou Athie as one of my new favourite actors (he's also great in Unicorn Store, which I watched recently). In this, he does brilliantly at portraying the inner conflict of a reporter who is put in a very difficult position and has to question his own personal and professional motives.
I would definitely recommend The Front Runner to anyone who is interested in either politics or the media, and particularly the ways in which they intersect.
It's the story of Gary Hart running for US president in 1988 and the scandal that turned the focus of his campaign away from political issues and towards his private life. I'd never heard of Hart before seeing the film trailers, but he was apparently the front runner to be president in 1988 before everything went wrong.
Clearly, there's a statement about current US politics in a film about an intelligent, attractive Democrat, who is much more interested in debating the issues than talking about himself. And it's an interesting exploration of how the focus of the press has changed over the years in relation to reporting about politicians.
There are a lot of very clever, very subtle moments that make this film compelling, as well as a lot of very difficult questions about personal ethics and whether they should have an impact on a politician's effectiveness as a leader. We had a lengthy and fascinating discussion after the film, which I also really enjoyed.
It has also cemented Mamoudou Athie as one of my new favourite actors (he's also great in Unicorn Store, which I watched recently). In this, he does brilliantly at portraying the inner conflict of a reporter who is put in a very difficult position and has to question his own personal and professional motives.
I would definitely recommend The Front Runner to anyone who is interested in either politics or the media, and particularly the ways in which they intersect.