The Last Republican is an important film for this American election season, even if it doesn’t perfectly dissect the importance of its central character.
Director: Steve Pink
Genre: Documentary
Run Time: 90′
TIFF Screening: September 7-14, 2024
U.S. Release Date: TBA
U.K. Release Date: TBA
Former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger will likely go down as one of the most consequential figures in 21st century American politics. The new documentary, The Last Republican, which recently held its world premiere at TIFF, attempts to showcase two sides to the politician: the normal family man and the valiant lone wolf defending American democracy during the fallout of the 2020 election.
While the film does not fully capture the weight of this figure, it serves an important introductory point to understanding this specific moment in history.
Steve Pink spearheads this effort to dig into Kinzinger and his role as one of the few defiant Republicans who opposed then-President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Some may know Pink as the director of Hot Tub Time Machine (2010). With his background as a comedy director, he may seem like an odd choice to tell this story. People who think this may have a point, as the doc suffers from a rather dull structure.
The first half of the film focuses on Kinzinger the man. The audience sees his down-to-earth interactions with people, ranging from his staff to his wife, Sofia. The second half focuses on Kinzinger the legend. This section deals with his refusal to go along with the rest of his party in spreading falsehoods about the election and his actions to unearth Trump’s involvement in the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol.
All along the way, the audience sees how Kinzinger faces pushback and persecution for standing up for what’s right, from random callers wanting him to “suffer” to members of his own family abandoning him. It’s a tragic story, but the stark shift in storytelling between the first and second half makes the film feel not quite as powerful as it could have been. The emotional, real human being of the first half becomes a caricature by the team we get to his eventual departure from Congress. Had the second half done as good a job of helping the audience see Kinzinger’s humanity, the point would have felt much more potent.
A more subtle and interesting aspect of the film showcases what living in harmony and peace despite political differences looks like. Pink, a leftist who described himself as “basically a Communist,” and the pro-life, pro-Second Amendment Kinzinger trade blows throughout the film, but do so in a way that is comedic; they refuse to attack each other personally. A friendship seems to develop between the two, as we hear Pink’s voice in the background while Kinzinger sits in the center of the frame. This banter reminds the audience that people can live peaceably without agreeing on every issue. This kind friendship also directly juxtaposes Kinzinger’s Republican colleagues featured throughout the film, the ones who abandoned their friend in order to stay relevant within their political party.
Ultimately, The Last Republican asks a serious question: What are the consequences for standing up for the truth? Kinzinger gave up his seat in Congress as a result of his actions. He made himself public enemy no. 1 in the eyes of his own party. Yet he held firm in his convictions, an action that should be commended. While the film doesn’t perfectly capture the full scope of Kinzinger’s life and his work, it does remind us (for better or worse) about the utterly divisive times in which we find ourselves. This doc sets Kinzinger up as not only a political martyr, but a warning of what may be to come if we don’t start seeing the humanity within each other.
The Last Republican was screened at TIFF on September 7-14, 2024. Read our review of 2073!
