When you watch the trailer for Aaron Sorkin’s upcoming drama, “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” it’s clear that the film takes place in the ‘60s, with its era-appropriate costumes and politics. The film is obviously about the real trial of a group of people that were accused of conspiracy after protests surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention. But according to Sorkin, despite the setting, the costumes, and the true events, ‘Chicago 7’ is a contemporary film that aims to shed light on what America is going through in 2020.
Speaking to EW, Sorkin readily explained how he went to incredible lengths to make a film that is true to the ‘60s era but didn’t actually feel like a ‘60s film. And the purpose of that is so audiences understand that he’s really talking about 2020.
“And that’s the real point that I want to make with you, which is that the movie is not intended to be a history lesson, it’s not intended to be an exercise in nostalgia, and it’s not intended to be about 1968 — it’s about today,” Sorkin explained. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I leaned away from ’60s iconography in the movie. Obviously the sets and costumes are period-correct, but I stayed away from kind of the hallucinogenic aesthetic, tie-dyed peace signs, that sort of thing. And the music is all original score, it’s all film score, it’s not that ’60s protest soundtrack that you’re kind of expecting in a movie like this, because I didn’t want there to be anything to come in between the story and a contemporary audience.”
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And considering the timeliness of the feature, it’s no mistake that Sorkin wanted ‘Chicago 7’ to arrive in front of audiences before the upcoming US Presidential Election. However, that idea was thrown into jeopardy after theaters shut down earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing Sorkin and the studio to rely on a streaming partner to make sure the political drama arrived on time.
“There was no chance [we wouldn’t release the film before the election],” said the filmmaker. “Netflix or no Netflix, we would have hung a sheet in the parking lot and projected it against that. [Laughs] We are very lucky that Netflix came along; it’s sort of like being saved by a lifeboat that has VIP cabins on it. Netflix is a great studio that is doing a great job of rolling out the movie, and we’re very happy to be with them.”
He continued, “We wanted to get it out before this election because right now I think is when we’re all talking about this, when we’re all thinking about this, when we’re seeing it every day on the news, and I’m not saying the film has a shelf life, but it should be out now… I think after Nov. 4, we’re going to be too exhausted to want to see this. Listen, we’ll be okay on Dec. 4, but we are going to need a water break.”
“The Trial of the Chicago 7” is set to debut on Netflix on October 16.