Welcome to Monrovia, a town that voted overwhelmingly in favor of Trump. A town where Sunoco 260 gasoline is spoken of in the same revered tones one would summon when speaking of a deceased parent. Unlike 99% of Americans, Frederick Wiseman resists mixing business with politics, treating such hot-button issues as a visit to a gun shop and the validity of CBD oil with the same gravity he would afford buying a park bench for the town library. At a church wedding, a rhapsodic rendition of “Always” stops the show. It took a moment to get past the beauty of the soloist’s voice and realize that it was originating from one of the only, if not the only, person of color Wiseman’s camera captures. The red state further shows its true colors during a brief layover at the County Fair where t-shirts alternately degrade women and proudly point out the State’s number of legal conceal and carry permits. This is Wiseman at his clear-cut best. Stop reading and run to the theatre. (2018) — Scott Marks
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