'Alt-Right: Age of Rage' Is An Unsettling, But Familiar, Portrait Of American Extremism [SXSW Review]

Since August of last year, the so-called alt-right has become an unavoidable tumor on the American conscience. In the wake of the Charlottesville protests, where Heather Heyer was killed by a white supremacist who drove his car into a group of counter-protesters, coverage of, and conversation about, the alt-right has grown tenfold. Profiles of the likes of Richard Spencer and Milo Yiannopoulos appeared on front pages everywhere and, at a point, some began to argue that such journalism was normalizing these extremist ideologies. Into this contested landscape comes the documentary “Alt-Right: Age of Rage,” a film that dives headfirst into the fierce and ugly battle of the alt-right and their polar opposite, Antifa, which has spilled from the internet and onto the streets. Of course, the question that has to be asked is: Does anybody want to spend any more time with Spencer and his belligerently bigoted ilk?

‘Age of Rage,’ of course, is banking on the fact that people are still interested in hearing what the faces of the alt-right have to say. Particularly, what they have to say about their opposition, Antifa — the anti-fascist left-wing activists that act as a counter to the alt-right, who also take up a good chunk of ‘Age of Rage.’ This fierce opposition between the far right and the far left forms the backbone of the film: Spencer and fellow white supremacist Jared Taylor are thematically paired against Antifa activist Daryle Lamont Jenkins and Mark Potok, a former senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, among several others who populate the film. But instead of deeply investigating the complex and often toxic ideology behind the alt-right, the film is more interested in exploring how exactly these groups feel about each other — an interesting but far less gratifying angle.

Directed by Adam Bhala Lough, ‘Age of Rage’ picks up in the wake of the Charlottesville protests and features extended interviews with the above-mentioned personalities, as well as a host of others who are somehow involved in war between two of America’s political extremes (not to equate the toxicity of the alt-right with Antifa). This being a war that began on the internet, Lough’s film is rounded out by a wealth of unsettling and terrifying footage curated from the ugly underbelly of the net — violent protests, beatings, startlingly racist monologues. The narrative, so much that there is one, tracks the groups as they plan protests and counter-protests and level verbal jabs at one another at Lough’s prompting.

On a technical level, ‘Age of Rage’ is a well done and compellingly drawn film. Lough spends enough time with each of his characters to flesh them out and give them texture and dimensionality. And for a film that was shot and compiled in the span of just a few months, it’s impressively crafted and incredibly timely. And, throughout, it’s watchable, if only to sit jaw-agape at the absurd beliefs on display.

But, for those who have been closely following the public rise of the far right, ‘Age of Rage’ can be one of two things: another compelling portrait of an ideological war, or a late addition to an overtrodden narrative subject. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a middle ground. At least not in this genre. And it’s easy to see why. This sort of hatred that is propagated by the far right is hard to stomach, and the ease with which they espouse such a broken ideology, unsettling. People are tired of hearing about it, and justly so.

All of which is to say that ‘Age of Rage’ will be as fascinating for as long as your interest is deep. Because while the candor with which Spencer and Co. speak, and the depth of access granted to Lough is astonishing, the film doesn’t ever manage to bring anything new to the table. One telling moment comes when Spencer describes his childhood, explaining that his “country club conservative” upbringing led many to believe he would be just another banker or lawyer — not the pseudo-intellectual xenophobe he’s become. This fact — that Spencer had such a normal upbringing but has since taken on such extreme beliefs — is exactly what ‘Age of Rage’ should have attempted to interrogate. What is it about these men (because they are almost all men) that made them so susceptible to such a narrow and broken belief system?

Instead, the film settles to give each side its platform. Lough pokes and prods at times, asking Spencer and Jenkins what they think of each other, but he never challenges them (which, again, is not to equate their two ideologies). Of course, Lough’s film doesn’t endorse the alt-right, and some damning historical context is applied to suss out the atrocity of certain ideas. And Potok is an especially welcome presence for his rigorous examination of the topic. Still, ‘Age of Rage’ doesn’t ever chart any new ground. It settles with serving as yet another incendiary portrait of hate in this time of division. [B-]

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