In the new US documentary, War Game, a bipartisan group of real-life defense, intelligence and elected policymakers, spanning five presidential administrations, participate in an unscripted role-play exercise in which they confront a political coup in the wake of a contested presidential election.
The film, directed by Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber for Vet Voice Foundation, was screened widely at festivals and cinemas across the US and will be streamed online in October.
War Game consists of an elaborate future-set simulation that dramatically escalates the threat posed by the January 6, 2021 insurrection in Washington DC. The fictional president and his advisors confront a political coup backed by rogue members of the military and led by a Christian nationalist demagogue, in the wake of the 2024 presidential election.
Like actors in a thriller, but with profound real-world stakes, the players have only six hours to save democracy. The simulation’s outcome hinges on several inflection points: from the government’s capacity to counter disinformation spread by the insurgent side, to the potential invocation of the Insurrection Act, which empowers the president to deploy military and National Guard troops to suppress civil disorder, insurrection, or rebellion (ie the “nuclear option”).
While the exercise served to “stress-test” institutions, the film is a critical wake-up call.
[Watch the trailer at https://wargamefilm.com/.]