The Game Is Up: Disillusioned Trump Voters Tell Their Stories

I first heard of this documentary on "X" and it intrigued me enough to hunt it down. I just finished watching it, and all I can say is, wow.

I was impressed at the in-depth explanation of how Trump's following became the cult that is now, Trumpism. Those that we interviewed were not Democrats or Liberal. They're the straight up followers who finally saw the chink in Trump's armor and how flawed he is.

This film is absolutely worthy of all the accolades and awards it received. Many more people need to see and understand what we need to fight against and see what it is we will lose if we do not. This needs to be shared again & again so people understand the how and why of the cult.

Watch it, it's definately worth it.

This documentary begins with a former right-wing congressman by the name of Joe Walsh describing his rejection of the current MAGA trend within the Republican Party. After detailing some of these issues he finds abhorrent, the documentary then follows with an interview of an expert from Texas A&M University named Professor Jennifer Mercieca, who describes the identifying traits of a demagogue and how former President Donald J. Trump so perfectly fits this description. Other experts also describe how Fox News and other extreme right-wing propaganda networks also helped to create this uninformed and dangerous cult which follows his every word. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was clearly a much-needed documentary which certainly covers most of the important aspects leading up to the appearance of Trump onto the national political scene. Where it falters, to some extent, is that it delves too much into the biographies of the experts and not enough into those who propagated much of the garbage that supposedly passes for news in this country. Even so, I still believe that this documentary was a step in the right direction, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

There is so much to take away from the individual stories of contrite former Trumpists in Melissa Jo Peltier's "The Game Is Up". One sees how an echo chamber of rightwing lies and propaganda (Fox News is often mentioned!) can distort reality even for good, smart people!

But such people can discern, over time, the contrast between the hate they're being fed and their own humanity. And, if not greeted by counterattacks, such people are capable of change!

The farmer; the evangelical Christians; the young Jewish activist; each individual's story reveals an epiphany in the soul of a good American.

And, if we watch (and LISTEN!) with our own hearts open, we cannot help but have sympathy for those who have conquered their hate.

Such empathy for our fellow Americans is the antibiotic that our country desperately needs to get through this epidemic of hatred!

No pun intended - and no I don't mean that Trump is done for. Many I reckon would wish for this to happen, but I doubt he will face serious consequences for what he has done ... not just to America but the whole world. To humanity some might say ... and it is not like he was first ... he just exploited systems and made other people pay for whatever sins he commited - pun very much intended in this case.

The Republican Party has become a joke ... a vile and disgusting one, but a joke nonetheless. They just can't see it themselves or deny seeing it. Whatever makes them stay in power and rich ... doesn't matter who suffers because of that. The main problem is of course the two party system in general. But it could work, if both parties tried to make sense ... Democrats are mostly the ones that do make sense ... which isn't helping much either. You need discourse ... you need fraction ... you need discussions ... you need things to move forward from. All those things are missing in America.

And there is a terrible trend to be seen amidst the pandemic where people seem to become even more close minded ... in a time and age where we can connect to anyone ... almost. A shame some might rightfully say. But at least some have woken up. And I do believe that those who see the errors in their way can be not just forgiven, but embraced. And it all begins with Joe Walsh - a Republican who aided and abetted Trump ... but who finally saw what he was complicit to ... and changed lanes and tried everything to undo the evil ... too little too late some might say ... but he is trying and has lost a lot ... others should follow his example (I am not holding my breath).

It goes on with other people - all individuals that once thought Trump was great or at least not really a bad solution. Oh boy where they wrong ... and the way the documentary is build up and structured really shines a light on all that. It does help if you are aware of certain things beforehand ... But I doubt there are many people who do not know about Trump ... everything else will be blatantly obvious ... so obvious you may still not understand why people fall for the tricks ... but that is also explained ... bubble and all that. Very engaging and very important ... will it be able to change peoples mind? We'll have to wait and see ...

I enjoy documentary films, and without a doubt, there are good documentaries, and not so good documentaries, but this is definitely one of the good ones. It covers the phenomenon of Donald Trump, from the point of view of former Trump supporters and evangelicals who have a good understanding of what's at the core of former President Trump's appeal along with a little bit of expert psychological commentary.

Each has a very interesting story to tell, often interesting, and sometimes a little touching, I agree with other reviewers that this would be a good movie to show to your MAGA relatives or friends, but for reasons that are outlined in the movie, most dedicated Trump fans would probably just see this as propaganda, although it's really pretty balanced in the sense that none of the people featured in the movie really are liberals or have come from liberal backgrounds. All in all very good film, it flows well and while it's feature-length, it doesn't seem at all like a long movie! Well worth your time.