War Game

[CPH:DOX '24] Presented as a thriller, it proposes a limited time of six hours for the fictional President Hotham and his government team to return normality to the country, having to face insurrections by some governors. A large clock marks the time left to resolve the situation, as if it were an Escape room. The simulation is mixed with interventions by some members of the Vet Voice Foundation, those responsible for this war game. The simulation game works well with a growing tension that leads to uncertainty about the possibility that President Hotham (Steve Bullock) decides to invoke the so-called The Insurrection Act, an order that allows the army to act against American citizens, which which represents a declaration of civil war. And although it is understood that the participants only had brief notes on their roles, and almost all decisions are improvised, it feels that they are too restricted towards a ready-made ending, which eliminates some of their effectiveness. But this simulation exercise filmed like a documentary raises interesting questions about the ability of a Western country like the United States to preserve the value of democracy, which becomes especially relevant in an election year like this one.