Michael Moore Unveils Surprise Documentary

In a rather surprising move, Michael Moore has unveiled a new documentary that will begin screening tomorrow In New York City.

The film, titled Michael Moore In Trumpland, has its origins in a one-man show that the Academy Award-winning director had planned to perform and film at an Ohio theater. However, the chosen venue, the Midland Theatre in Newark, Ohio, backed out of the production. Moore claimed that the Theatre was scared of the controversial material in the performance while theatre officials cited that there was too-short a time frame to prepare for the event.

Moore announced the project with the following tweet earlier today –

Hey NYC- Who wants a peek @ what I've been up 2? Tues, 9:30pm, IFC Center. TIx free, 1st come, b.o. opens 8:30pm. pic.twitter.com/SrAhaq74ME

— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) October 18, 2016

The film will debut tonight at the IFC Center in New York City at a free event, before beginning a regular, paid admission run at the IFC Center starting tomorrow. No further release plans have been announced, although given the quick nature in which the project seems to have come about, I wouldn’t be surprised if we heard additional distribution plans very soon. A run on Video On Demand outlets seems the most likely outlet for the film.

The film’s official synopsis is as follows –

See the film that Ohio Republicans tried to shut down. Oscar-winner Michael Moore dives into hostile territory with daring and hilarious one-man show, deep in the heart of TrumpLand in the weeks before the2016 election.

While I generally align with Moore’s politics, I do find myself frustrated with him as a filmmaker. There are times when he takes some shortcuts in presenting his arguments in ways that could actually undercut the points he is trying to 0present. The themes of his films are generally strong enough to stand on their own and he should have the confidence to let them do so.

Moore’s documentaries are very much pieces of their time, tied strongly to the pressing political concerns of the moment. They generally don’t have much rewatch value as the years lengthen from their initial release, outside of demonstrating what topics may have been occupying portions of the nation at the time. Given the unprecedented contentiousness of the current presidential election cycle, this new film could be an interesting document to look back on in years to come.