Citizen Sam Review

Citizen Sam
(Canada, directed by Joe Moulins)

Citizen Sam is a verite style documentary about quadriplegic Mayoral candidate Sam Sullivan and his bid to become mayor of Vancouver, BC. The film follows Sullivan's whole campaign journey from unsteady start, to frustrating setbacks, to victorious conclusion. In another director's hands Sullivan's disability may have been the basis of a sugary, violin scored, "underdog does good" story. Thankfully, neither Joe Moulins' direction nor Sam Sullivan's character allows the film to devolve into sentimental tripe. Sam Sullivan is first and foremost a politician with a fiery determination to win an election. He has right wing views and an almost Machiavellian glee about vanquishing his enemies. He is smart about whom he courts (speaking Cantonese and Mandarin really helps), and he glad hands and follows the interview circuit with the best of them. I admired the film's ability to be both keen political observation and developed character study. Sam Sullivan is not your average politician in more ways than one.

"I like the fact that people underestimate me. They pat me on the head and then I rip their throat out." - Sam Sullivan, Mayor with an attitude

The realities of Sullivan's disability are not ignored, nor are they always comfortable to watch. Brushing his teeth, dressing for work, even taking a bath all become intimate scenes from Sullivan's life that the camera records with patient passivity. The film avoids any spoken comment on Sullivan's disability in favour of showing its role in how Sullivan performs day to day tasks. This objectivity makes the disability understood without feeling manipulative or preachy. Over all the bumps along the campaign trail Sullivan also keeps a video diary. In his entries we see a side of politics rarely revealed as Sullivan speaks honestly about his struggles with panic, anger, frustration and simple lack of confidence. It's fascinating to watch a politician speak openly about the lure and danger of power. The film perhaps does a disservice to Sullivan's political opponent Jim Green, who spends much of the film ducking out of interviews and avoiding eye contact. After the screening, director Joe Moulins said that Green was not a bad guy, but rather had the unenviable task of attacking "the guy in the chair". It also doesn't help that Green looks like some kind of 1930s mob boss. Still, Citizen Sam would have been a stronger political study if they had offered an interview with Green to balance the political representation.

Citizen Sam is an inspiring film, and I mean that sincerely and without my usual sarcasm. I didn't feel sorry for Sam Sullivan and I'm not even sure I would vote for him. I did, however, find the love between him and his partner emotionally resonant and affecting. I found Sam Sullivan's determination and drive admirable, and his emotional conflicts honest. The last segment of the film will stay with me long after the screening, and needless to say it made me very proud to be a Canadian. The film is simply but effectively directed, with accolades to editor Carmen Pollard who transformed hundreds of hours of footage into a smartly paced political story with effective highs and lows. Citizen Sam is an NFB production. It will be airing on the CBC and I would highly recommend it. 4.5 out of 5