I watched this film the same day I watched a documentary on the Red Sox, both off of IFC. I felt as though I had watched the same film twice. They are both primarily about divisive fans rooting fervently but in vain for their team to win.
I was moderately impressed with the willingness of The F Word to include other political fields of thought in its discussion. At one point a journalist, republican and former Marine arrives on scene and tours part of Manhattan with the lead character. His view is fairly simple. Most of these protesters are here because disliking Bush is popular. It is easier to have an emotional investment in something than an intellectual one (ask any sports fan). As another minor character reminds us, it is not likely many of them have a nuanced understanding of things like foreign policy.
I did not appreciate the Waking Life-style digression of the park dream sequence. It felt too digressive.
The various 'We Hate Bush' posters and sentiments flood the screen as often as "Yankees Suck" shirts flood the Red Sox documentary. This is to be expected of a film about protesters of the RNC, but there seems to be little attempt on the part of the filmmakers to explore the specific political positions of these people, and so we are left with the sense that the majority of them are passionate lemmings. This was possibly the intent of the creators, but I am uncertain. Unfortunately, personal politics, like the home team mentality, tends to skew ones interpretation of things, and The F Word makes little attempt to clarify anything. Which is why I give it a 7/10.
I was moderately impressed with the willingness of The F Word to include other political fields of thought in its discussion. At one point a journalist, republican and former Marine arrives on scene and tours part of Manhattan with the lead character. His view is fairly simple. Most of these protesters are here because disliking Bush is popular. It is easier to have an emotional investment in something than an intellectual one (ask any sports fan). As another minor character reminds us, it is not likely many of them have a nuanced understanding of things like foreign policy.
I did not appreciate the Waking Life-style digression of the park dream sequence. It felt too digressive.
The various 'We Hate Bush' posters and sentiments flood the screen as often as "Yankees Suck" shirts flood the Red Sox documentary. This is to be expected of a film about protesters of the RNC, but there seems to be little attempt on the part of the filmmakers to explore the specific political positions of these people, and so we are left with the sense that the majority of them are passionate lemmings. This was possibly the intent of the creators, but I am uncertain. Unfortunately, personal politics, like the home team mentality, tends to skew ones interpretation of things, and The F Word makes little attempt to clarify anything. Which is why I give it a 7/10.