Aaron Sorkin takes us back to America in the 60s and the Vietnam War

Realizing the importance of the 1960s in the history of the United States of America, Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed the film “The Chicago Trial of the Seven.” Sorkin is one of the most important screenwriters in Hollywood (“The American President” / 1995, “Charlie Wilson’s war” / 2007, “The social network” / 2010). His new film is the second he has directed (after “The Molly Game” / 2017). The film is Sorkini par excellence, a series of fast-paced scenes charged with energy that make the characters can’t stop talking. The film features the US president’s reserve call for the Vietnam War, opposition to the deaths of Martin Luther King and King, the death of Robert Kennedy, and demonstrations by various anti-war groups and activists.

“Martin is Matt, the owners Matt, Medgar Matt, Bobby Matt. Jesus died. They tried with peace, we will try something different ”, says in the film the founder of the Black Panther Party, Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdel Matin II) to explain his decision to go to Chicago to protest against the war and demonstrate during the Democratic National Convention in the summer of 1968. Seale wasn’t the only one who went to Chicago, so did Rene Davis (Alex Sharp) and Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne) of Students for a Democratic Society. David Dillinger (John Carroll Lynch) is an activist in the “social nonviolence movement.” Abby Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong) are the founders of the International Youth Party (Yepez). The peaceful demonstrations and the stance against the Vietnam War end in clashes with the police. Five months later, the organizers were charged with conspiracy and inciting violence. The film refers to the trial that took place between March 1969 and February 1970 against a group of protesters against the Vietnam War, and the charges against them were serious.
A true story that Sorkin brought to the screen. It is assumed that the dialogue is rich, we know very well who Sorkin is. The film focuses on facts and events, before and after the demonstrations and the trial. It does not matter what law the accused violated, because it is clear that the trial is political and the judge in charge of the case has a personal campaign against him, as is the case with the government. Sorkin knows perfectly well how to jump in time to relate what is happening to past events, adding richness to the story rather than simply as an illustration of what happened. He also knows how to keep the viewer interested without having to enhance the entertaining aspect of the film.

A tape about the lie of power and politicians

Sorkin doesn’t like to lose viewers. Everything in the movie is in place, even with the multitude of characters. Give enough time to introduce ourselves to them and the organizations to which they belong. Sorkin did not present a documentary or journalistic film, and it is not specifically a reconstruction of the events as they are, but a work based on a true story. The film moves from the first half, which is light and funny, up to a point, to the second half, in which the violence begins outside the trial, escalates and reaches a very emotional ending.
More than anything, the movie is a call against a common enemy. A film about the lies of authority and politicians, which fits perfectly with what is happening today in more than one country in the world and what is happening in Lebanon. Police brutality is everywhere, corruption is evident in politics and the enemy for them is the people. Sorkin’s script is flawless, but he is not experienced enough to go beyond the material he wrote and how to bring it to the big screen. A fast-paced legal film with great acting from its actors and strong dialogue, although having someone else behind the camera as a director would have served the film more. In the end, we are facing a well-made, fun film that sheds light on a story that always repeats itself, designed with a rule, and very precise, without any cinematographic audacity.

* The Chicago 7 trial on Netflix