THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 (ENGLISH) (2020)

For his second directorial, writer-director Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, The Social Network and many more notable screenwriting credits) has marshalled an ensemble cast for an engaging courtroom drama. The movie chronicles an infamous trial from the late 1960s when the Nixon administration and its new Attorney General prosecuted eight persons belonging to different anti-Vietnam war and civil rights groups on charges of conspiracy for causing bloody riots in Chicago during the Democratic National convention in 1968. 

While it is purportedly recreation of a dark episode in the history of American democracy, it brings into stark relief on how it continues to represent the present days. The timing is curious as the chaos and paranoia that were prevalent then find an eerie resonance today as a highly polarized America heads into what promises to be a momentous, messy and one of its most divisive elections.

The writing is superlative as Sorkin dives into the thick of action from the word go and energizes the narrative with his trademark sharp cuts, electric exchanges between a bunch of memorable characters that we would love / loathe in equal vigour. He dials up the rhetoric, keeps the proceedings gripping by crisply inter-cutting the courtroom scenes with scenes from the fateful day of the riots to sustain the suspense. The unfolding drama is layered as it captures the multiple competing cross currents of war and peace, democracy and disorder, racism, calls for rebellion and righteous opposition in the face of unrelenting force of powers that be.

              

The stellar cast that includes top-of-the-shelf talents including Michael Keaton‌, Joseph Gordon Leavitt, Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Rylance, Eddie Redmayne, Frank Langella and Yahya Abdul Matteen II and the performances are terrific across the board as they sink their teeth into these colourful characters that shine brilliantly even in crowded scenes.  

This might be a story from another era of stormy unrest on how corrupt and unbridled state power aided by complicit pliant institutions could corrode a democracy by choking the fundamental right of citizens to express dissent. Yet, almost half a century later, it presents a grim reflection of our own times as this movie underlines for us. As liberal democracy finds itself  dire straits, not just in America, but in several countries across the world, it is curious case of history repeating itself. Is it a tragedy or farce...? That is a zillion dollar question abegging an answer. 

And...  The whole world is watching.

A RIVETING WATCH !!

RATING - 3.5/5

THE SOCIAL DILEMMA (ENGLISH) (2020)

This documentary digs deep into the bottomless digital pit called social media and through lucid accounts from tech insiders, illuminates the existential threat it poses to humanity.

Contrary to popularly held notions, the menace of social media does not stop merely at seeing users accessing free content as products to be monetized through advertisements. In a mad rush to maximize profits, the AI engines at the heart of these social media apps continuously hack the users' psyche through machine-learning enabled manipulative algorithms that are highly effective.

The gullible user base - which includes each one of us - is pushed down a treacherous precipice into a vicious cycle of extended engagement with an endless stream of similarly toned, curated content - thereby creating and reinforcing disruptive biases, polarizing communities, eroding mutual trust, destabilizing democracies, augmenting the armory of autocrats and corroding common grounds for harmonious co-existence.

                   

I wish this becomes a mandatory watch for everyone engaging with social media and should be pinned right on top of our daily news feed from every app that we use.

Do yourself a favour and watch it before you take your next dive into your Facebook or Pinterest or WhatsApp or Instagram or Twitter, etc.

This could well be the best 90-odd minutes you spend this weekend. It holds the potential to alter the rest of your life for the better and heal humanity from a self inflicted digital cancer from the spectre called social media.

A MUST WATCH !!

RATING - 4/5

PS - The Social Dilemma is currently streaming on Netflix.