Interview: ‘No Ordinary Campaign’ at 58th Chicago Intl. Film Fest

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HollywoodChicago.com: To give someone an idea of what it is like to go from healthy to debilitated, what normal activity can you honestly say that you’ve missed the most, or have expressed that you have missed the most?

Wallach: There are two examples. Number one, it’s not being able being able to carry my daughters. I cannot do that anymore. And secondly, it’s having a conversation with my daughters as well. They often ask, “what did you say Dad?”

HollywoodChicago.com: What are the close-up elements of Barack Obama, that people do not consider, that if history serves him will carve his name into our story as one of the greatest of U.S. presidents?

Wallach: There is actually an amazing line from the documentary that didn’t make the final film. President Obama said when when you have community organizing you have the organization, but even more importantly you have community.

Abrevaya: One of the most remarkable things that President Obama did for Brian and I was in addition to teaching us the skills of organizing, he created this community … we call it the greater Obama family network. It has rallied around us in this remarkable way and has been a key part of this new campaign and made such an impact. In everything he’s doing, sharing and speaking about now, he’s encouraging the next generation to become leaders and believe in their ability to drive change.

We hope we’re carrying that torch in part, along with so many others, and it’s been a remarkable gift from him to give that to us and others.

Wallach: Most people focus on how smart he is us, but for me the most important trait is how he is able to be down to earth, and that is something we are missing because a lot of people tend to retreat into their silos. For example, when you have a president like Obama, and he walks into a restaurant and sits down with people, he will push them to revisit their pre-conceived notions about their fellow human beings. That would be the most important thing for us to carry forward.

Post Screening Q&A for ’No Ordinary Campaign’
Photo credit: Brian Wallach/Sandra Abrevaya

HollywoodChicago.com: We live in divisive times, but your success in getting major legislation passed for ALS patients proved the power of the collective spirit and government to actually help people. In that experience, how can that continue despite our divisions?

Wallach: First, thank you. I think the thing I took away from this challenge that despite the background noise in politics today, if we’re able to reduce policy to a few key things that we all agree have to be done – that are not political but human – then we can actually see people come together and make them real.

It won’t be perfect, but look at the ALS Act … what I wrote the first time with member of Congress Mike Quigley and others was different from what was passed. But in what we did, we were able to say that it was not a ‘blue’ or ‘red’ issue, this an issue about doing right with our fellow human beings. And with that mantra we were able to push through a bill forward that should have never passed because of the current political climate.

I’m always an optimist, and maybe we can use the same framework to do a few key things for our country. And once we do them, people will move away from defining truth about being whatever they want, and make truth be about how we help each other. That is what I hope the movie helps make real, among other things.

HollywoodChicago.com: Brian, what do you fear most about death or more importantly what don’t you fear as a lesson to all of us?

Wallach: What I fear most is not being here to watch my daughters grow up and have the time with Sandra to do more amazing things. On the other hand, I fear death a lot less than I used to, because as was once written, a person dies two times … the day that their body expires and the last day somebody mentions their name.

And for me I know that if my journey ends tomorrow my hope is I will have inspired people to keep dreaming and I will have given them the tools to make good trouble and to change the world. And that is all I can ask for.

By PATRICK McDONALD Editor & Film Critic/Writer HollywoodChicago.com [email protected]