American Destiny - 10
When I heard that Robert Redford was coming out of
retirement to direct and star in a new movie, I was surprised. When I heard that he was pulling together all
his industry contacts to produce an “instantaneous” production with several
directors and numerous actors, all working simultaneously on multiple sets, I
was curious to say the least.
Then I saw this epic production. It may be the greatest piece of cinema ever
produced. How they wrote, filmed, and
edited this in less than 30 days is probably going to set a new standard in
digital production. It’s immediacy and
timeliness are simply stunning. The
movie is set in every American election year for the next 20 years. Each Election year has a different director. Buckle your seat belt. It is a very bumpy ride.
2020 – The Cleansing
In the first chapter, Redford directs himself as President
Donald Trump. As the election nears, the
world is squarely in the bulls-eye of a second great depression, as the
lingering effects of the coronavirus scare have ensured that much of the
business world is ping-ponging between good and bad. Other countries cannot duplicate the US Fed actions
that goosed the stock market and the rebound of the virus following world-wide protests
was inevitable. The unrest was fueled equally
by a policeman’s choke hold on George Floyd, and the availability of a lot of
out of work protestors. Public pressure mounts
on the administration and the response never meets the clamor.
Oddly, the most devastating scenes in this section take
place in football stadiums, as election day approaches. The NBA and MLB had already struggled through
abbreviated seasons, and football was supposed to be a return to normalcy. Roger Goodell, played by Dwayne “the Rock”
Johnson delays the start of the season, cancelling the first two weeks, but the
President and Goodell square off. Trump,
never a fan of the NFL since their rejection of him as an owner, feels that it is
his last chance to restore normalcy before the election. Goodell starts the season, but the stadiums
are eerily quiet as the crowds are masked, small, and socially distanced. The quarterbacks are calling audibles that
can be heard in the upper deck. The fans
are passive observers. College football
is no better. Bands are not allowed, and
while the student section has some enthusiasm, others stay home. The rattle of pom poms is barely audible After 4 games, the NCAA cancels the season,
but the Power Five conferences refuse, and play continues until a National
Champion is crowned (Mississippi State.)
Redford’s choice to focus on football as a metaphor for the economic
doldrums is perfect.
On election night, Redford portrays Trump as surprisingly calm, resigned to his fate as the results from Broward County make it apparent that the tide has turned. He seems almost eager to return to his business interests. Joe Biden (Christopher Plummer) is elected President in a landslide, as the virus fatalities in the US near 200,000 and the economy continues to bounce wildly.
2024 - The Comeback
As the 2024 election nears, in the segment directed by
Steven Spielberg, Biden has decided not to run for reelection. He has failed to slow the erosion of
confidence, and has spent much of his term reversing the policies of the Trump
administration. Unable to get his
nomination of Barack Obama as a Supreme Court Justice to replace a retiring
Ginsburg through Congress, he faces backlash from all sides and it is obvious
his health is failing. The social media
clamor about the Supreme Court dwarfs any other that has been seen previously, with an aging Mitch McConnell right in the middle of it. While Vice President Val Demmings (Gina
Torres) has teamed with Attorney General Kamala Harris to rebuild confidence in
law enforcement, little else has gone right.
The Senate is stale-mated at 50/50, and the mid-term elections deadlocked
the House as well. The stock market
hovers at half of its previous highs as many businesses never re-opened. Losses of the Olive Garden and Applebees were
not disastrous, but many local businesses also were never able to re-staff,
much less refinance. Controversial legislation
like the “Reserve Assets Act of 2022” have become wildly unpopular. After the bank’s had to beef up their
reserves following numerous bank crises, the public clamored that businesses
should all be required to have more cash reserves. Advocates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,
played with gusto by Marisa Tomei, pointed out that in the crisis, companies
were calling for “socialist” bailouts, and payroll assistance after just two
weeks of shutdown. As the national debt
soared to $25 trillion, the public was angry about the lack of accountability
as numerous instances of abuse were revealed.
In a wide-open primary, Harris (Rosalie Dawson) takes up the Democratic
mantle but fails to capitalize on the momentum of the Facebook replacement for minorities
called “Blackbook” that was formed when minorities revolted against Facebook. She wins the popular vote, but is narrowly
defeated by the Republican nominee – Donald Trump who is drafted to run again
with the promise “that only he can fix this.”
Redford is back as Trump. Trump
has spent 4 years defending himself in court against various charges, tweeting
almost hourly a criticism of someone. But it is Broward County that carries him over the top, as he recaptures Florida. Vice
President Nikki Haley, here played wonderfully by Anne Hathaway, has no idea
how quickly she will be making major decisions.
Gina Torres as Val Demings
Anne Hathaway as Nikki Haley
2028 - The Upset
In the chapter directed by Spike Lee, it is Democrat Pete Buttigieg who defeats Republican Nikki Haley, who while serving as Trump’s Vice President had been elevated in 2026 after Trump was impeached for a second time. This time he was convicted by a Senate controlled by the Democrats and majority leader AOC. This was all precipitated by what would be known as “The Great Secession” that occurred when California, Oregon, and Washington banded together to secede from the US and become “Western America.” The states were angered by their lack of representation in the Electoral College as California resident Kamala Harris had won the popular vote by over 7 million votes in 2024 but still fell short in the Electoral College. Unexpectedly, Alaska joined the new country and the financial power of the new entity was staggering, instantly becoming the third biggest economy in the world. When the Canadian province of Vancouver joined, Western America became a world power and began to build a military. In addition, their drain off of tax revenue for the US made the US insolvent in the eyes of the markets. Trump famously said “Let them go” as his, and other Republicans disdain for the “west coast elites” was front and center. “Let them go” became his rallying cry, but the US Credit rating plummeted and Trump declared the government bankrupt. The underfunding of government caused by decades of “cutting taxes” was now fatal, and the 2026 tidal wave of Democrats into office, resulted in Trump’s impeachment when a whistleblower in the IRS illegally released his tax returns. His indebtedness to Russian banks and mob figures were the last straw. Director Lee captures the Senate trial in flashbacks, and it is now-Indiana Governor Pete who emerges as a unifier. Zac Efron is Buttigieg and has perfectly captured an older and wiser Buttigieg. With equally charismatic Mikie Sherrell (Amanda Seyfield) as his running mate, they win Broward County and upset Haley and Marco Rubio (Carlo Mendez) in the general election.
Amanda Seyfried as Mikie Sherrill
2032 - The Moon
Buttigieg is believed to trail substantially in the polls
when he pulls off a huge upset, winning a second term with a narrow victory
over Republican Adam Kinzinger (Chris Pine) who mounted a strong campaign. Somehow Republicans cannot capitalize on their
Electoral College Advantage and chaos erupts in Broward County, invalidating all ballots cast there. President
Pete’s progress from his first term on health care is stymied by Congress and
his second term is destined to be marred by a military defeat of epic proportions
when the US Space Force loses the battle for the moon to the Chinese force in 2034. The US had several encampments there that
were critical as stairsteps to Mars, but the Chinese force wiped them out with
sonic nuclear waves. Vice President
Sherrill is the head of the Space Force and her promising career is torpedoed.
Director Alfonso Cuaron returns to his “Gravity” roots with
stunning battle footage. Soon after the
Chinese capture the moon, they begin a run on the US banks trying to redeem
bonds. The US is on the brink of war
with China for a year, but the US Military has been depleted by the reduced
funding and the US is in a quandry as Allies of both sides line up with World
War III seeming to be inevitable as the 2036 election nears.
2036 - Electoral Shock
Quentin Tarantino directs this segment. The battle royal of all elections explodes in
ways that no one could have predicted, making Reservoir Dogs look tame by
comparison. For the first time since
Teddy Roosevelt, a viable third party candidate emerges in the form of 84 year
old Mark Cuban, played almost digitally by Jake Gyllenhall. The two-time mayor of Dallas has impeccable credentials
as a do-er – not a politician – who just outworks everyone else. He also has an unlimited war chest after 30
years of successful Shark Tank ventures, which have made him the richest person
in the world. He is also rumoured to be the recipient of a
youth serum, as he still looks and acts 20 years younger. He’s been a long-time activist for protecting
both the environment and social security, both of which are in dire shape. Meanwhile fellow Texan Dan Crenshaw (played
by Pete Davidson, of all people) is the Republican nominee, while Ocasio-Cortez
finally gets her Democratic party’s vote of confidence as their nominee,
largely as a reward for shepherding sweeping health care legislation through
Congress. While Cuban falls short, his
prior assumed-Republican leanings take votes from Crenshaw. None of the three get a majority in the Electoral
College, and in a stunning move, Congress elects Cuban. It’s ground-breaking and in his first term
with Vice President Justin Amash they begin to try to pull together a coalition
to address the 40 trillion dollar deficit that has been in “reorganization” for
a decade. Despite Cuban’s charisma, the
US economy has been overtaken by China and Russia.
Tarantino pulls no punches about how far the US has fallen,
and it would appear Cuban has his work cut out for him.
Pete Davidson as Dan Crenshaw
2040 - Broward
M. Night Shyamalan directs the final chapter, as long-time
Senators Corey Booker (LL Cool J) and Marco Rubio (Carlo Mendez) square off in their bid to unseat Cuban. The movie concludes with the kind of shocking
ending you would suspect of this director, and I’m not going to give it away in
this review, other than to say it happens in Broward County.
