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CULTURE

New Documentary ‘American Chaos’ Seeks to Listen to Trump Supporters

Six months leading up to the 2016 presidential election, director James Stern began touring the red states of America to understand the support behind Donald Trump. This turned into his new documentary, American Chaos, which gives us a glimpse into the nature of our politically divisive times.

A self-professed “political junkie”, James D. Stern is a film producer and sometime director, involved with movies as varied as Looper and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. His previous documentaries focused on sports (Linsanity, Michael Jordan to the Max) and politics (… So Goes the Nation).

Believing that “people in blue states don’t understand people in red states,” Stern embarked on a journey to bridge that gap.

His film crew traveled from Florida to Arizona, West Virginia to the 2016 GOP Convention in Cleveland, putting Trump backers on camera and primarily listening to them without judgment.

As the movie trailer pointed out, the major themes from Trump’s campaign that resonated with his supporters were immigration, security, gun control and jobs.

The documentary features various interviews from an Arizona rancher to direct descendants of the Hatfields and McCoys to an out-of-work West Virginia coal miner who wanted Trump’s opponent Hillary Clinton executed for treason.

Often, the interviewees cite Clinton’s alleged immorality as a leading cause for their distrust of her. Others deem the allegations against Trump’s character as simply unfounded.

Many supporters say that they felt seen and heard at last by Trump’s campaign, employing the now-familiar sentiment that he “says things that a lot of Americans think.”

Stern also employs some commentary from academic experts to weigh in on the psychology behind these supporters, and seems to express his own bent, pondering if Trump’s voters believe that their current president is pushing us “to the brink”.

The documentary also comments on a seeming desire for many of interviewees “to go back in time,” to the pre-integration, coal consuming, pre-immigration flood, binge-buying 1950s.

American Chaos premieres in theaters September 14.

 

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40 Comments

  1. Fred Latimer September 11, 2018

    Why bother? They have no common sense at all.

    Reply
  2. Sabrina Boles September 11, 2018

    Vote blue stop the madness and criminals an Russia

    Reply
    1. Walter Brewer September 11, 2018

      SABRINA B…SWEETEE…YOU RIGHT…VOTE BLUE…OUR BEST CHANCE TO SAVE THE USA…

  3. Carlos R. Vasquez September 11, 2018

    dumbing down of society is clearly working

    Reply
  4. Ronald Christensen September 11, 2018

    Trump supporters aren’t worth talking too !

    Reply
  5. Charles Freedom September 11, 2018

    Trump supporters are too deep into his butt for any logical conversations to take place. They will never return from that trip. ?

    Reply
  6. Dave Martin September 11, 2018

    Fk them

    Reply
  7. Roger Jasso September 11, 2018

    WTF the Ignorants can’t see the truth nor common senses either cuz they got a full of Swiss cheese holes in their brain!!

    Reply
  8. Bob Fink September 11, 2018

    Great can’t wait to see this one. It should be hilarious as they try to explain how he makes sense

    Reply
  9. James Dutoit September 11, 2018

    A ROCK IS A ROCK YOU CANT TALK TO A ROCK EITHER THERES NOTHING THERE SOLID ROCK.

    Reply
  10. Pauline LaVonne Baker-Jackson September 11, 2018

    Cult45 can’t be swayed

    Reply
    1. Joelle Cannon September 12, 2018

      Pauline LaVonne Baker-Jackson Cult 45, good one ??

  11. Louise Dodson September 11, 2018

    Oh look s fat man just like Trump

    Reply
  12. Lola Madison September 11, 2018

    I can’t listen to them….I don’t speak gibberish.

    Reply
  13. Marie Marks September 11, 2018

    STUPIDITY ABOUNDS!!!!

    Reply
  14. Darrell Stevens September 11, 2018

    These people have mental issues.

    Reply
  15. Chari Hayes September 12, 2018

    The people who make it so we can’t have nice things.

    Reply
  16. Martin Loehr September 12, 2018

    Why?

    Reply
  17. Laura McCarthy September 18, 2018

    I just wish they didn’t have to find support in someone like Trump.

    Reply
  18. Judy Metcalf September 18, 2018

    Unfortunately, the man elected is using what he knows as a need to enrich himself and others who pull his strings. The question is; WHAT HAS HE DONE FOR THE AVERAGE WORKER?

    Reply
    1. Kyle Volkmann September 18, 2018

      Judy Metcalf
      Here are a few of the accomplishments and actions of the president for the people of the United States.

    2. Judy Metcalf September 18, 2018

      Kyle Volkmann most of these are not plusses…look them up and read about the ramifications. Dodd-Frank for one.

    3. Brian Elder September 18, 2018

      Hey Judy, racheal madcow is a liar!

    4. Judy Metcalf September 18, 2018

      Brian Elder hey Brian, trump is a liar, over 4000 since taking office.

  19. Loretta Thompson September 18, 2018

    Why?

    Reply
  20. Doug Bryant September 18, 2018

    Trumpanzee is what they are.

    Reply
  21. Tom Russ September 18, 2018

    Trumptards.

    Reply
  22. Nicholas Aaron September 18, 2018

    “New documentary seeks to listen to Hitler supporters” would be the headline in 1933 Germany

    Reply
  23. Louise Dodson September 18, 2018

    Just say they are parading their stupidity

    Reply
  24. Betty Major September 18, 2018

    Wait until they get their, s s checks, and insurance cut.

    Reply
    1. Sharon Ruebhausen September 18, 2018

      Betty Major u r a hateful old Democrat

    2. Betty Major September 18, 2018

      Sharon Ruebhausen but not blind, deaf and dumb. I also will not fly a natzi or Confederate flag.

  25. Kyle Volkmann September 18, 2018

    Judy Metcalf
    I’m going to show you 4 charts that were presented at the White House briefing last Tuesday.
    This was presented and explained by a government economist.
    Here is graph 1

    Reply
  26. Kyle Volkmann September 18, 2018

    Judy Metcalf
    The Blue Line shows Obama’s economy.
    The red line shows what is happening with President Trump’s economy.
    The blue dotted line shows the path of Obama’s economy if Trump and not interjected his changes
    Chart 2

    Reply
  27. Kyle Volkmann September 18, 2018

    Judy Metcalf
    If you will look at the data and listen to the report by The Economist it is clear that millions of new jobs have been created with a very large number of them being high paying. Almost all groups in the USA have benefited from his actions and are having record low unemployment.
    Chart 3

    Reply
  28. Kyle Volkmann September 18, 2018

    Judy Metcalf
    If you do not like what President Trump has done and you want the economy based on the blue line vote Democrat.
    If you want more of the continuing economic success and you like the red line better vote Republican.
    I hope I have given you the information so you can better understand the accomplishments of our current president.
    respectfully submitted

    Reply
  29. Tina Campos September 18, 2018

    Fk Donald Trump

    Reply
  30. Katy Tessler Braun September 18, 2018

    NOT SUSRE I WANT TO LISTEN TO THEM.

    Reply
    1. Larry Robinson September 18, 2018

      I know my blood pressure will go up if I do.

  31. Fred Latimer September 18, 2018

    Who wants to listen to a bunch of morons?

    Reply

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