Director Glenn Silber created a victory dance out of his latest documentary, Labor Day, which will open tomorrow at Quad Cinemas. He wanted to show how the Service Employment International Union (SEIU) played a crucial role in securing President Obama’s campaign victory.
And you have to give Silber props for some of his exclusive shots. His camera crews followed Obama from the early stages of his race against Hillary Clinton, and stayed close when he talked to members of the SEIU. Considering the institutional lighting they had to work with, the shots are all well composed.
Unfortunately, it’s all those conventions that make the documentary fall visually flat. We see plenty of sit-down interviews with media experts and musicians such as Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, but even Morello can’t add sexiness to the chorus self-congratulation.
Out of 76 minutes, the film’s one insight is it’s main message: “If Hillary had won the SEIU endorsement instead of Obama, she would have been president. The race was that close,” says Jonathan Alter, the Newsweek national affairs columnist. After this point, which is made near the beginning of the documentary, the Democratic concerts and bus tours seem like an extended pat on the back. There’s plenty to love about unions, but I’d rather learn specifics than hear 10 minutes of vox-pop comments from concertgoers. Silber means well, but he’s capable of better.
