Film Review: ‘11/4/08’ Assembles Interactive Portrait of Fateful Night

Submitted by mattmovieman on October 22, 2010 - 7:41am

CHICAGO – When Barack Obama took to the podium at Grant Park and gave his acceptance speech on the evening of November 4, 2008, his face appeared strangely reserved. His eyes did not reflect the overwhelming excitement of his supporters. Their grassroots efforts led to the election of a candidate whose popularity transcended national boundaries, injecting cynics with hope.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Obama could make a believer out of anyone except, perhaps, himself. With all eyes averted eagerly toward him, the newly elected President of the United States looked cool, composed and utterly daunted. Was he simply attempting to maintain a grounded calm, a la Lovie Smith? Or was he beginning to fear that his campaign had somehow oversold his abilities to clean up a mess sure to linger throughout several presidencies? Now that he had the whole world in his hands, was he afraid that he would fumble the ball?

Read Matt Fagerholm’s full review of “11/4/08” in our reviews section.

These are the sort of thoughts you may find yourself grappling with while watching Jeff Deutchman’s intriguing and occasionally chilling documentary, “11/4/08.” It’s not a standalone film so much as an introduction to a sociological experiment. Deutchman recruited various friends to capture images of the historic 2008 Election Day from a variety of locations, which the film jumps between as the day progresses. The locations aren’t just of the familiar American variety: Chicago, Manhattan, Austin, Los Angeles, New Orleans, etc. We’re also treated to images from Paris, Berlin and Dubai. It’s startling to hear crowds of people overseas chanting, “Yes We Can!” The percussive sound of their voices mirror the rhythms of a Manhattan subway performer, whose drum beats accentuate the pulse of the streets, which is abuzz with Obama fever. Unlike HBO’s somewhat stagnant documentary, “By the People: The Election of Barack Obama,” Deutchman’s film is actually for, about and made by the very people who brought this unlikely candidate to the White House.

‘11/4/08’ was released Oct. 22 on demand via iTunes, AmazonVOD, Sony Playstation and CinemaNow. It was edited and curated by Jeff Deutchman. It is not rated.

Continue reading for Matt Fagerholm’s full “11/4/08” review.