Wow, November got here fast. This year’s election cycle seemed shorter than usual. The presidential candidates were all but a foregone conclusion, until they weren’t. Now with election season finally here, things continue to be tense. Are smooth transitions between administrations a thing of the past, or has the fever from last cycle broken?

Despite the strange reality we live in now, politics have always been fertile ground for nerve-fraying anxiety. Whether that’s the paranoia of being under the all-seeing eye of the NSA today, the tragedy of the assassinations in the 60s, or the scandals of the 70s, politics have never been for the faint of heart. Struggles for power rarely are.

Here’s some of our favorite political thrillers to put you in the right mood for election season:

War Room

For better or for worse, the documentary War Room defined ‘90s politics. Unlike the ‘80s, there wasn’t a Soviet enemy to unite against, and the innocence of the ‘50s and ‘60s was long gone. The ‘90s were about fighting for what was yours, and the swaggering, foul-mouthed subjects of War Room, James Carville and George Stephanopoulos, personify that. When Bill Clinton faced allegations of adultery and draft-dodging, his two campaign surrogates, Carville and Stephanopoulos, go on the attack, undermining his enemies in any way they can to win.

 

All the President’s Men

Just like War Room inspired people to get into politics, All the President’s Men inspired a whole generation of intrepid journalists– and rightfully so. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman portray real life journalists Bernstein and Woodward as they investigate the Watergate scandal. While today’s political landscape mostly revolves around Twitter talking points, there’s something appealing about Redford and Hoffman’s relentless old-school approach to uncovering the truth at all costs, even if it costs them everything. Cinematographer Gordon Willis’s dark hallways and smoke-filled rooms convey the murky, sinister nature of the political machinations that seek to keep us all in the dark.

 

Syriana

George Clooney starred in multiple political thrillers in the 2000s, from Edward R. Murrow biopic Goodnight and Good Luck, to cult favorite Michael Clayton, but my personal favorite is the oil industry exposé, Syriana. Yes, it’s dense with multiple, intersecting plotlines and a global cast of characters, but it’s propulsive, smart, and one of the best movies of the Bush era to reckon with the ‘War on Terror’ and the power struggles behind it. As the storylines come together, the film asks the audience to take part in connecting the dots, and like the old Lubitsch quote says, “Let the audience add up two plus two. They’ll love you forever.”

 

Citizenfour

The fire alarm goes off. The front desk keeps calling about how your meal was. Is this normal, or is someone messing with you? After watching this Spirit Award winner for Best Documentary, you might find yourself feeling a little on edge, and for good reason. Laura Poitras’s film follows Edward Snowden as he reveals the NSA’s secret surveillance programs to her and right-wing journalist Glenn Greenwald. Most of the action takes place in a hotel room in Hong Kong, making the subjects and audience feel like the walls are closing in. It’s enough to make you put your phone in a Faraday cage.

 

JFK

JFK has earned its reputation as the defining film on the JFK assassination. Director Oliver Stone even made a follow-up documentary defending and amending the facts put into his own high-stakes thriller. Whatever the truth is, JFK is Stone firing on all cylinders. The sweaty New Orleans courtroom, the paranoia-fueled nights where Kevin Costner may or may not be under surveillance, the anxious witnesses that disappear; it all adds up to one hell of a thrill ride. And you know, that Jim Garrison might have a point too.

 

Notorious

Hitchcock has made a career out of stomach-clenching scenes, but the climax of Notorious might be his best. Cary Grant plays a U.S. government operative who recruits the daughter of a German defector, played by Ingrid Bergman, to expose a group of high-class Nazis hiding out in post-war Brazil. As her precarious situation gets more and more dangerous, we realize the two have fallen in love, adding to the drama and raising the stakes even higher. Not only is it one of Hitch’s best thrillers, but it works surprisingly well as a slow burn of a love story. You also get to enjoy a great Claude Rains as the dangerous, insecure Nazi kingpin. What’s not to like?

 

The Battle of Algiers

A ‘60s film that’s as relevant now as it was then, The Battle of Algiers is a brutally honest look at colonization, following the Algerian Front de Libération Nationale as they battle French colonizers, personified by the cruel Colonel Mathieu. It pulls no punches in showcasing the horrors of war, including a scene of planting a bomb at a French café that is still hard to watch. A harrowing film, The Battle of Algiers is a reminder that political power is often born of violence.

 

Boys State

Boys State is American politics in its most unfettered state, with added pubescent hormones. This documentary follows a mock election for Texas governor where all the candidates, campaign workers, and voters are teenage boys. Despite the play acting, it turns out to be a remarkably prescient lens into the state of real-world politics. The boys engage in dirty tricks, Instagram campaigning, egoism, chauvinism, and trading away their values for votes. It’s a poignant coming-of-age story that showcases the absurdity of politics, while also exposing uncomfortable truths about the roles we’re forced to play by participating in them.

 

For over 40 years, Film Independent has helped filmmakers get their projects made and seen. The nonprofit organization’s core mission is to champion creative independence in visual storytelling and support a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision.