Cinema Politica has a two-headed beast of a movie night next Monday, whose nature seems both above and against our well-intended democratic ideals. Please vote for me is about eight year olds conducting a brand of democracy you’ll want to nip in the bud, and Dinner with the President makes you wonder if true democracy in Pakistan could be a precursor to a far worse reality.
Please vote for me: How can such cute little things be so manipulative?
In what can only be described as a democratic phenomenon, director Weijun Chen lets Ms. Zhang’s third graders campaign and cast the ballot in a scary but true exemplary of democracy 101.
Cheng Cheng is a precocious kid whose manipulative ways could persuade you to ride your bike off your grandmother’s roof. He’s running against Xu, the girl in the election, who’s all sugar and spice. They’re up against the incumbent, Luo Lei, who believes that authority requires somefist work and direct orders.
What happens on the campaign trail is downright crowd-pleasing, and when parents get involved the idea of a equal and fair elections seems ideological at best and completely unnatural at worst. Lies, slander, scandal and bribes: kids are awesome.
Dinner with the President plays the devil’s advocate to democracy’s righteousness. Many citizens see President Pervez Musharraf as the one person who can hold Pakistan together. Director Sachithanandam Sathananthan sits down with the ex-general for dinner, to talk about his personal constitution and ponder the danger of a truly democratic Pakistan, all while upholding the need for the utmost personal freedom.
Please vote for me and Dinner with the President screen at Cinema Politica next Monday at 7:30 pm in H-110.
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