Sumeer Malik

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY AARON SORKIN In 1969, American Activist Fred Hampton was shot and killed in his own apartment by the Chicago Police Department. This tragic event was followed by Black Panther Party leader Bobby Seale being bound and gagged in the courtroom for taking back to Judge Julius Hoffman. What happens 51 years later? In March of 2020, a 26-year-old African-American Woman by the name of Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her own apartment by the Louisville Police Department. This tragic event was followed by another tragic event of a 46-year-old African-American Gentleman by the name of George Floyd being restrained and eventually murdered by the Minneapolis Police Officers. What distinguishes these tragic events that are 51 years apart from each other? Has history been used to create a better future? Or has it been used to mirror the future? These are the pivotal questions that Aaron Sorkin posses with his masterful drama about the trial of seven anti-Vietnam war activists being put on trial by the federal government for conspiracy and for crossing state lines in order to incite a riot. Aaron Sorkin’s masterful storytelling blurs the lines between the events that occurred in 1968 and the events that have occurred these past four months. The film is a classic Sorkin drama. It has all the exciting ingredients that make Aaron Sorkin the most respected and loved screenwriter working today. Rapid-fire, quick-witted dialogue, non-linear storytelling, repetition – all the delicious tropes that craft a compelling Sorkin drama are embodied in this film. After making an impressive debut as a director in the exciting 2017 film Molly’s Game, Aaron Sorkin returns as the captain of the ship and the individual behind the camera. There were moments where Sorkin’s direction stood out more than the dialogue. Take the scene towards the beginning when the first day of the trial is about to begin; in a single shot, the camera fluidly moves across the front of the courtroom showcasing every member of the trial preparing themselves for the notorious events that are about to unfold in front of them. It almost felt like a moment from a play, except rather than just solely relying on the staging and blocking of the actors, the movement and vocabulary of the camera accentuated the feeling of immersing the viewer in the rapid sensation of anticipation. Or take the scene when Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is just terrific) gets gagged in the courtroom; there is pure silence except for the haunting sound of Seale’s handcuffs and footsteps. Aaron Sorkin has truly grown as a filmmaker; his sense of staging and blocking a scene in order to be in harmony with the words he has written on the page are evolving into, just like his writing style, a rhythmic and musical style of filmmaking. The Trial of The Chicago 7 is a moving and haunting portrait of the frightening parallels that run between the 1960s and 2020. It is the perfect story to be told in times like these. Aaron Sorkin’s watertight screenplay and direction, the terrific performances from an incredible ensemble cast, the fast-paced and rhythmic editing, and the terrifying relevance and parallels between the events portrayed in the film and the events that have occurred in the past four months culminate to make The Trial of the Chicago 7 the most timeless reflection of today's times.