The West Newton Cinema held a screening of the movie War Game Tuesday in honor of the upcoming Nov. 5 presidential election, as well as a panel with local political experts.
“While it’s nerve wracking and stressful to see these things depicted on screen, I think it’s comforting to think that someone is thinking about this,” said Meredith McLain, a panelist and professor of political science at Tufts.
The docu-thriller War Game follows an elaborate simulation that parodies the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. It follows a bipartisan group of U.S. defense, intelligence, and elected policymakers in this unscripted, role-play simulation. Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber directed the movie, which came out in January 2024.
Acting as a fictional president and his advisors, the team in the movie has six hours to confront a political coup in response to a contested 2024 election.
McLain said the dedication of the characters in the movie to uphold democracy reflects how our political leaders should act.
“We need these folks who care about institutional strength, who care about the strength of congress, and are willing to check a presidency, even of their own party” said McLain.
McLain specializes in American politics with a focus on the separation of powers and presidential authority.
Two others spoke alongside McLain.
The other panelist was Kent Greenfield, a Boston College law professor and an internationally recognized scholar of constitutional law and corporate governance. He’s also clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court and authored books on law.
Neil Giordano moderated the panel. He’s a film teacher at Newton North High School with a passion for documentary filmmaking.
The film examines the skills officials must have to make these tough decisions and explores potential decision-making influences, according to Greenfield.
“So much of this is norm-based, based on who’s there, and their judgment, discretion, and hard decisions. These moments are not really dictated or determined by law, but by the human beings in the room” said Greenfield.
With election day only a week away, the speakers emphasized how the film might spike anxiety for viewers. War Game is an honest look at what the U.S. government has to do to protect democracy when it is threatened, McLain said.
“When you lose trust in the institution, then you start acting it with panic as opposed to with confidence that you can make a decision that’s going to be appropriate,” McLain said. “You have to have trust, specifically, in this situation, the people around you.”
The film emphasized that bi-partisanship is essential to responding to these moments of crisis. The political affiliations of those involved in the experiment are omitted, making it clear that everyone, no matter their political party, needs to work to protect democracy.
“This was a sort of non-partisan approach to something that’s a very partisan issue,” Giordano said.
While the film was intended to provoke anxious thoughts about the upcoming presidential election, the panelists reassured audience members.
“Take at least maybe some solace in thinking that people are concerned about this, and they’re thinking about the best way to respond,” said McLain.
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