Nominations: Academy Awards 2021

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If you like trial movies and if you enjoy Aaron Sorkin’s style (i.e., A Few Good Men, The West Wing, The Social Network), you will enjoy this one. As the title explains, it tells the story of the trial that followed the protest that took place in Chicago in 1968 against the Vietnam War.

We first meet them separately, as each of them is planning to go to Chicago to be a part of a bigger protest during the Democratic National Convention. Shortly thereafter, the plot is told in a non-linear way, with the trial taking place for the most part of the film while we see flashbacks of what happened.

At first, eight protesters had been arrested, with seven of them being represented by William Kunstler (Mark Rylance), while Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), the national chairman of the Black Panther Party, has no representation whatsoever. As the trial moves forward, it is impossible not to notice the judge’s (Frank Langella) bias against all of the defendants, especially against Bobby Seale. The judge charges the defendants and their attorneys with multiple counts of contempt of court, which leads to the most brutal scene in the movie involving Bobby Seale.

It is even more harrowing when we realize that it actually happened in real life. Aaron Sorkin, who both directed and wrote the movie, used real transcripts of the trial to recreate many of the scenes. There are, of course, some changes, but the main idea and the facts remain. It is also interesting to note that Fred Hampton, the chairman of the Illinois Black Panther and whose life is the theme of Judas and the Black Messiah, has a role in The Trial of the Chicago 7. So, it would be a good idea to watch them both, to have a full picture of what was happening in Chicago during that period of time.

Sorkin’s quick dialogue and choice of telling the story in a non-linear way help to keep the pacing of The Trial of the Chicago 7 fast the whole time. The cast is also instrumental to its success, with Sacha Baron Cohen nominated for his portrayal of Abbie Hoffman. It also features Eddie Redmayne, Jeremy Strong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Michael Keaton, among others. The movie won the SAG Awards 2021 for Best Cast, which is a good sign for the Oscar ceremony.

Even though The Trial of the Chicago 7 was filmed before the events that took place in the U.S. in 2020 regarding the Black Lives Matter movement, it feels like it was made precisely for our times. It is as relevant today as it would have been if it has been released 50 years ago, which is sad and awful to realize. There’s still a long road ahead.