This article was written by Zachary Lee and originally published as part of our Sundance Film Festival coverage.
It wasn’t slotted in the Midnight section, but War Game, from directors Jesse Moss (of Girls State) and Tony Gerber, might be one of the most frightening films that premiered at Sundance Film Festival. The duo documents a group of bipartisan generals, CIA analysts, and elected politicians who gather to play the titular war game. In the game scenario, it is January 6th, 2025 and a radicalized paramilitary group called the Order of Columbus has gathered outside the Capitol to contest the results of the election. The Order is aided by active members of the US military and in just 6 hours, the present administration must ensure the peaceful transfer of power while the mob outside the voting chamber grows increasingly more agitated and violent (no pressure, right?).
What really makes the documentary work is just how committed everyone is to the bit. When you have a governor playing the President of the United States, a senator playing the Attorney General, and regular actors all interspersed throughout, one would be forgiven if anyone were to break character, but everyone takes the stakes of the game seriously. While the film is an imaginative exercise (Moss, in particular, is no stranger to prototyping visions of our political future), it is fascinating and thrilling to see in real-time how our political leaders might respond to a second insurrection and whether mistakes from the first one would be repeated or not. In one terrifying sequence, the Order begins to flood social media with propaganda to rile up their followers while the administration woefully discounts the importance of controlling the online narrative. If there’s any takeaway for future administrations, it’s to not neglect the importance of wielding social media.
I only wish that the film solely focused on the game. There are moments when it breaks away from the drama unfolding to feature interviews with the game designers and others involved. While that’s interesting and helps flesh out the stakes, it ultimately detracts from the immersive world that Moss and Gerber have so expertly crafted.
War Game is now in theaters.
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