Wideshot Reviews: Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
Whether we want to admit it or not, we must accept the fact that we are on the cusp of great social change.
Review by: Paolo Hibaler
Edited By: Robbie Claravall
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Sacha-Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Genre: Biopic
Whether we want to admit it or not, we must accept the fact that we are on the cusp of great social change.
This pandemic has dramatically shifted the way we look at many things that coexist with us in this world. Many of us have gone through rapid changes during such a short period of time, and if there was anything that the pandemic has taught us, it was that the systems that surround us have been fraught with inequality — one that has the capacity to induce internal and external change to act. This is quite reminiscent of the 60s, a time when hair was long, tensions were high, and the world — similar to ours — was also on the cusp of significant social change.
The Trial of the Chicago 7, a film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin and starring Eddie Redmayne, Sacha-Baron Cohen, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is set in this tumultuous time period. The film is about seven members of different activist organizations, their unlawful arrest after protest at the Democratic Convention of 1968, and the aftermath of these events that would reveal early on just how twisted both the police and the justice systems were at the time. Above all, the film is a scathing reminder of the cyclical abuse incurred by these organizations and the reality of how nothing has changed almost 60 years later.
Sorkin, primarily known for his writing on shows like The West Wing and iconic films like The Social Network, has opted to take the directorial chair for this film, and the unity of his writing and direction takes center stage because of that. Despite the fact that most of the film is set inside a court with barely any dynamic action, the film is still able to keep its intensity alive because of the writing and direction. The way the legal arguments are written feels like a verbal fight scene — jabs being juggled and information being thrown without mercy. The direction closely follows this as well considering how the action cleanly showcases the psychological warfare that actually went on during these court trials. When the action does slow down, however, the writing still supports the combatant mood by beautifully keeping the words shared typical of Sorkin: exceptionally witty, punchy, and information-dense, a common characteristic that has grown to become his staple.
The cast in front of Sorkin’s camera is also able to keep up with the pressure since each actor performs their role spectacularly. Even in the smallest of moments, their performances are able to push across the grand ideas that each member of the Chicago 7 carried. We see this especially in Eddie Redmayne’s Tom Hayden, and Sacha Baron Cohen’s Abbie Hoffman. Each actor gives an electrifying performance that captures the revolutionary spark that each activist had but goes about it in different ways. Sacha-Baron Cohen gives life to Abbie Hoffman through comedy with great timing and energy that matches the real Hoffman while Eddie Redmayne’s Tom Hayden is fueled by passion and a deeply ingrained desire for change. These two actors and the rest of the cast keep the film moving forward, making history look captivating enough as if they were unfolding right before our eyes.
The story of this film is also one that is worthy of its exceptional cast. The story about the Chicago 7, members of different organizations that came to Chicago to protest against the Democratic Convention is a powerful story about how police brutality and racial injustice have for so long been rooted in the rise of political activism, and how the masses respond to those threats of silencing. This is increasingly relevant with each passing moment, as movements such as the Black Lives Matter movement and the Stop the Asian Hate movement show us the depravity of those in power, and the response of those that they should be serving. Since the film doesn’t show the events of the Democratic Convention directly, the film opts instead to piece together the events as the trial goes on like a hungover person piecing the events of the night before from the recollections of those around him. This makes for engrossing storytelling that shows a peek into the madness of politics and the injection of humanity that revolutions often try to give.
The events of this film are extremely relevant to the world today especially when discussing its political climate. We have seen the effects of Trump’s America, one that was ripe with much civil and political unrest. The response of the police in those times still rings true to how the police are treating citizens today: with brute force, brazen knuckles, and zero accountability. This context is global and can even be applied to the Philippines where we see the police constantly breaking the core values of their roles, abusing their power in a society that has already been exploited for far too long. As the coup de grâce, this film is a reminder of what it means to be a part of a revolution and it shows us that it only takes the voice, charisma, and force of a few to start the avalanche of change that is necessary to win against the neverending odds that are put ahead of us.
August 13, 2021
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