Local elections can pay more attention to our day to day affairs rather than the high-profile national races. Which brings us back to Citizen Weiner. The new offering from director Daniel Robbins follows an unexpected candidate in Zack Weiner, who was in Robbins’ last film The Pledge and is now demonstrably running for New York’s Sixth District.
Theater skills have always been an added advantage for an odd candidate. The First President used hand movements while delivering his speeches, having observed stage actors. He was still very young, so it is rather harsh to fault him for that because after all, Alexander Hamilton wrote his first Federalist essays as a teenager. Where Weiner seems to differ from the Founding Fathers is that he’s still living at home, which isn’t surprising since real estate in New York City is pretty expensive. Unlike the Founding Fathers, he also doesn’t seem to have any connections or experience.
He has the misfortune of being closely associated with the disgraced Empire State Congressman Anthony Weiner, a man known for extravagantly misusing his cell phone. To be honest, his candidacy suffers from a few more severe problems than this one. A former borough president is dominating the initial polls, meaning Weiner is considered fortunate if he manages to gain approval from even one percent of the vote.
Surprisingly enough, the way Weiner conducts his campaign matches his determination to secure funds or meaningful endorsements, which are non-existent. A few fliers filled with unproven claims are more than enough to convince people to put him on the Democratic ballot (At least it worked for George Santos!), and he attempts to merge his campaign efforts with the kidney procurement process of the elderly party activist who printed his fliers. The candidate does not seem to understand that these obvious conflicts of interest may ruin his chances of winning even before he begins the race.
In the meantime, Weil’s crew and he have a talent for getting non-standard publicity which is so often lacking in his campaign efforts. Weil can promote the films he starred in with a surprise twist for the New Yorkers. Instead of more expensive TV commercials, the kiosks set up around the city will suffice. These kiosks have been banned for regular election campaign advertising, which makes it a screen for his regular election campaigns.
Additionally, the young man has a developed capacity to build coalitions and work with others on the issues of his campaign. Weiner attempted to turn his campaign into a demonstration of what he could accomplish during his first term. While seeking a solution for vacant storefronts in Manhattan, he partners with a teenage business owner. It’s far better than boarded windows, although pop-up shops do have their limits. When asked just what Weiner stands for, however, aides just say “YouTube.”
Considering how slim his chances are of ever actually making it onto the council, it is likely a good assumption that the campaign has been conducted entirely so Robbins could film it. Gallagher and Weiner have shared credit for the story. However, as with Cohen’s works, always the best and most interesting bits are found not from the “heroes of the story,” but from the superpowers they set out to capture on film. Weiner and his team seem to have discovered an ever-growing way of gaining press for a campaign that is so borderline energetic. Weiner and Gallagher, in a moment of clever carelessness, give juicy bits of information to reporters who have no idea these tips have been fed to them. They are too eager to accept the tricks. One wonders whether the media covering Weiner’s opponents is doing so in a fair manner.
The more typical candidates might not have Weiner’s nerdy charm, however, they are more likely to win since their platforms are significantly more detailed than “YouTube.” Robbins and Weiner might be doing everything for the camera instead of a place at the legislative table, but at least they decisively demonstrate that politics do not have to be boring and depressing.
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