Convention (2009)

In 2008, the Democratic Party came in Denver to nominate Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The camera takes us from just before the convention to its end, staying mostly away from the convention floor to focus on three groups: a handful of staff from the mayor's office tending to minor problems and worrying about a group of protesters, three of the organizers of daily protests (called "Recreate 68"), and a group of reporters from the Denver Post. A reporter has a brief meltdown, the protest marches are feeble, and the police presence is intimidating. Banal minutia of parade permits, traffic, delegate credentialing, and bullhorn instructions give the film details and texture.