A typical Northeastern Obama-supporting Liberal, I strived for an open mind in watching "Caucus." Though I’d like to claim objectivity, it was immediately apparent I had failed. At the waiting line for the film, all I could do, embarrassedly, was stare. Was the person next to me a Republican? Or worse, a Bachmannite?
Directed by A.J. Schnack, the nonfiction independent filmmaker, "Caucus" emerges as a calm effort to show a slower side to politics. Set at the Republican 2012 primary in Iowa, it shows politicians known for their dogmatic, flippant remarks as flawed, passionate, and sometimes careless figures. Schnack doesn’t give us too much of a taste of the party’s eventual nominee, Mitt Romney, instead zeroing in on the now-dubbed “anarchist” Tea Party “activists.”
The film creates an impressive dichotomy between two of the most conservative Republican candidates in particular – Michelle Bachmann, the Minnesota Congresswoman and Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania Senator. Both adamantly oppose gay marriage, are staunchly “pro-life,” and seem to genuinely believe Obama caused the recent economic crisis. Yet, the two candidates are remarkably different. Bachmann is seemingly impeccable. Though mostly late to her campaign’s events, Iowa crowds gravitate towards her. But DC’s hype and ambition has grabbed hold of her. It’s not just her tardiness to events. It’s her scripted sincerity, the sense that you’re only hearing what you want to hear, and her constant look of disinterest that gradually turns many voters off.
Enter Santorum. A masterful politician who once equated gay sex with bestiality, he is dedicated to what appears to be a hopeless cause for most of the film: winning the Iowa primary. Nonetheless, Santorum’s saves his dream by connecting to voters in a way Bachmann could only envy. Indeed – this is where Schnack’s film shines. Tracing Santorum’s rise as an underdog candidate who travels to all of Iowa’s 99 counties in order to win the Iowa primary, the documentary reveals itself for what it wants to be – a refreshingly humanizing portrait of the sensationalist, polarizing, and “evidence free zone” that is American politics.
The remaining components of the film stand weak. "Caucus," for much of the film, reflects its slow Iowa setting. It’s hard at times to grasp the purpose behind the film. Do we sympathize with the candidates, or do we condemn their empty political rhetoric? While watching the film, I couldn’t help but wonder if we were the film’s intended audience. Far too cynical to find the humanization of Santorum’s persona believable, all I could hear were guilty giggles as he tearfully discussed his personal views on abortion. Needless to say, I, along with a few other viewers sighed in relief at the sight of film credits. We’d had enough gay bashing for a Sunday.
Grade: B See if you like: "The Newsroom," "The West Win"
