It had become a little too easy to dismiss documentarian Michael Moore, on the strength of his fairly scattershot recent offerings. Sicko made a persuasive case for socialised medicine in America, but rather undermined its own cause by wilfully misinterpreting the healthcare systems in other countries. The message of Where to Invade Next was partially obscured by all the grandstanding gimmickry.
But with this searing, broad-ranging account of the political trends in the US, Moore reaffirms himself as one of the essential voices offering commentary on the world today. It’s just a shame that that voice frequently sounds so glib. It takes a while to realise that the anger and outrage that power this film are unfeigned.
Moore employs his trademark blend of dark humour and stunts to explore what led us to the Trump-era political arena, but as the film progresses, he increasingly dials down the comedy. Some things just aren’t funny. Moore juxtaposes the plight of various communities of ordinary Americans against an increasingly unaccountable, uncaring elite. He returns repeatedly to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, which exposed an entire generation of children to lead contamination. He touches upon the epidemic levels of prescription opiate addiction.
To a score of feverish violins, Moore makes an alarmingly persuasive case that democracy itself is under threat. Hope for the future, he argues, rests on the shoulders of a newly politicised younger generation, and on a wave of idealists replacing the moribund career politicians in the Democratic party. It’s not subtle – at one point he grafts Trump’s voice on to footage of Hitler addressing a Nazi rally. But subtle was never in Moore’s cinematic vocabulary. And as someone adept at harnessing entertainment for political purposes, he has the skill set to take on Trump at his own game.
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