No Surprise: Obama Doc Focused on Feelings, Not Politics
By STEVE BRYANT
Updated 11:51 AM CST, Tue, Oct 27, 2009
A new documentary premiering on HBO delves into what must be the most charted political waters of all time: the heady emotions surrounding Barack Obama's historic run for the presidency.
Filmed behind-the-campaign-scenes over 19 months and premiering Nov. 3rd, the doc chronicles the emotional hullabaloo around Obama's ascent, but little of his record or policies.
"That was what we were after," said filmmaker Alicia Sams to NBC 5. "The experience of campaigning. We've seen strategy movies before."
Well. Not on Obama we haven't.
Sims says that they instead used their access to focus on the staffers that helped pull the election off.
"We weren't involved in the strategic sort of decisions," said Sims. "But you're going to see some of the emotion of the organizers."
To wit, a scene near the end of the film shows staffer Ronnie Cho break down in tears on election night.
The cameras follow Cho as he walks into a back room and chokes up on the phone with his mother.
Other scenes show campaign meetings as organizers try to inspire staffers, nine-year-old children making fundraising phone calls for the administration, and Sascha and Malia eating ice cream at a campaign stop.
The doc also goes in-depth with Michelle Obama. In a series of candid shots and interviews, the future First Lady reveals how she was worried about everyday concerns, like whether she could afford to take off work, and whether the campaign would provide security for her and her children.
Those questions, the First Lady says, were answered to her satisfaction.
And then, in a moment sure to evoke First Lady Clinton memories among some viewers, Michelle says "As a result, we are now running for president."
Yes. We can.
First Published: Oct 26, 2009 4:54 PM CST
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