Friday, September 18, 2020

Hannah Rosenzweig & Wendy Sachs' SURGE tracks the entry of women into the 2018 congressional race

At this point in time there have already been several American documentaries about political candidates who were not white nor male. The latest of these is SURGE, and it is another fine example of both filmmaking and finding a subject well worth pursuing.

Filmmakers Hannah Rosenzweig (below, left) and Wendy Sachs (below, right) do a bang-up job of following three women candidates in the 2018 mid-term elections, allowing their viewers to see these women and their teams in action -- along with their hoped-to-be constituents, staff and 

friends and family -- their ideas, why they decided it was important to run for office and how they hope to achieve that goal. 

The overall film is impressive, and even if we might have wished for better election results, the strength and certainty these women possess about why and how our country needs to change -- and not in the MAGA (Make America Grate Again) manner of 

President Clown-cum-Realty-TV-Show-Host -- is worth seeing and hearing.

The three candidates we follow are Jana Lynne Sanchez (shown below), who is after a Congressional seat in a Texas district that Democrats have not won for 36 years; Lauren Underwood (two photos below) running in Illinois' 14th district, who, if elected, would be the youngest black female to hold this kind of office; and Liz Watson from notably red state Indiana (though South Bend did elect Mayor Pete), the state that gives its working class only a 12-hour window (6am to 6pm) in which to vote on election day. 


We watch as these campaigns kick off, gather steam and win their primaries, often against stiff opposition (Jana Lynne Sanchez, above, even after she won her primary, got no support from the Democratic National Committee -- yet another reason why TrustMovies shall never give another dime to that crap organization that keeps foisting "centrist hacks" upon us and refuses to endorse any real progressives).


You can see and fully understand how tiring campaigning is as you watch these women work against all odds to see things through to the finish. You also understand even more strongly what a waste it is to have to keep asking for donations rather than doing what's necessary to get out and meet, really listen to, and then convince, the voters.


As Election Day approaches and Republican opponents get dirtier and nastier, good things look less likely, but onward these gals go, and so do their documentarians, whose style is as positive, smart, caring and energetic as that of their subjects.


If you have mixed feelings by the finale, you're entitled. But I can't imagine any progressive-minded viewer not being pleased and edified by the chance to see all these wonderful women at work. Running 93 minutes, Surge is available to view now. Click here for further information on how to do so.

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