[rating=8.00]
Running with Beto made its world premiere Saturday morning during SXSW, marking the historic election Robert “Beto” O’Rourke embarked on nearly two years before his run at the Senate this past November. Cutting through over 700 hours of footage, the HBO doc showed the charismatic politician in his natural habitat. Pulling from stories of election volunteers, his family, and of course the man himself, the doc was met with uproarious applause throughout the screening, kicking off before the titles were able to hit, due to Beto and his family trying to quietly slip into saved seats as the lights went down.
Showcasing two years of work, the doc frames Beto in the familiar, likable stance most of mainstream media portrayed during and after his campaign. The El Pasoan goes into full details about his life, the impact the campaign has on his family, and the stakes if Texas remains a red state. Chronicling his time from giving town halls in small regions of Texas, to playing guitar onstage with Willy Nelson in front of thousands of eager supporters, Beto remains true to his cause, and his roots.
Like most politicians, we frequently see the Congressman putting his best foot forward, acting as the likeable protagonist to “Lyin’ Ted Cruz” and the incumbent seat. Refreshingly, the doc does manage to showcase Beto’s flaws. Upset when things aren’t necessarily done his way, we see him snap at family and co-workers under pressure, though apologizing along the way. While he’s not perfect, it is this humanity that creates the likeable bubble around his story.
Though the focus is clearly Beto, it is the stories and faces helping him to gain momentum in the political sphere that make the doc charming, and easy to relate to. A wife who has lost her veteran husband and is fed up with a complacent government. A woman who once blindly followed her family into being a staunch Republican, until this last election. A gun violence survivor who just wants the world to be a little safer. And of course, Betos own family, who puts their wants and needs aside because they believe in his dream.
Most opponents of Beto will likely look at the doc as overly emotional, or propaganda. Truly his ability to remain exceedingly genuine throughout not only the doc, but in person as he bashfully accepted praise from the SXSW crowd speaks to those who need a voice in a dark time.
