It’s easy to root for documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield: the Brit travels to the unfamiliar territory of Wasilla, Alaska, the home of Sarah Palin. He’s kind to Palin’s parents, polite to the ex-governor’s friends and apologetic when he stumbles into the mayor’s office accidentally. Broomfield is just trying to piece together the fragments of anything Palin-esque. He claims he’s not filming a “hit piece”. And he just wants to interview Palin for his latest documentary focusing on America’s favourite right-wing pin-up.
Sarah Palin – You Betcha! feels a year too late, now that Palin has resorted to blasting critics from the sidelines or from her pulpit on Fox News. But Broomfield’s film isn’t solely looking at Palin and what she brought to the John McCain campaign; instead, he tracks down friends and opponents of Palin to find out what really shaped the politician, even if the conclusion is uglier than he first imagined.
Broomfield’s position as an outsider looking in has long been his trademark. He’s also known for doing entire docs about people he never gets to interview. Remember Biggie & Tupac? And the infamous doc on Kurt Cobain? Broomfield is a master at piecing together a biography of a celebrity based on the recollections of those closest to the star, and Sarah Palin – You Betcha! follows similar footsteps.
“Nice lady, charming, genuine smile, but she’d kill you like that,” says Wasilla’s Rev Howard Bess, snapping his fingers. It’s a pithy line summarizing what some of the interviewees think about Palin. Sure, she’s sweet and charming and listens to your every word; but if you double-cross her, you’re gone. The film talks to campaign managers and state troopers (such as in Troopergate) about the moment they saw Palin shift from caring to calculating. When she was mayor of Wasilla, she fired officials who didn’t support her campaign. As governor, she upheld family grudges while she tried to throw more than one person under the bus.
Evangelical Christianity gets a few minutes of airtime, but it feels more like Broomfield is mocking the Assembly of God videos than trying to make a point about Palin’s beliefs. What’s more insightful is his interview with Palin’s only classmate to go on record about Palin’s fierce competitive streak and God-loving ways. Too bad he had to travel to Alexandria, Egypt to find the classmate.
As Broomfield continues to place himself in front of the camera in order to snag interviews with Palin at book signings and public appearances, the doc feels bogged down in the filmmaker’s quest to get his main subject into the picture. But it’s not happening, and it’s frustrating to watch; perhaps that’s the point, but it’s no big reveal to realize Palin is a woman tightly controlled by security. She also doesn’t appear in many docs about herself. Broomfield’s persistence has its charm. Hey, it worked for him in Biggie & Tupac, when he eventually nabbed an interview with Suge Knight. No such luck in this film, except for one moment that felt too brief to be momentous.
What’s most intriguing about the film is Broomfield’s portrait of Wasilla. A town of 6,000 and known as the crystal meth capital of America, Wasilla is now divided by party lines – fans of Palin and Palin haters. One resident estimates Palin has instigated 50 to 60 feuds since she stole the limelight; others say any friend of Palin could soon become an enemy with one simple mistake. Wasilla becomes a character born out of one woman’s split personality; the city practically is reshaped by what Palin has done in the past 20 years.
A very watchable film, Sarah Palin – You Betcha! would be even more relevant if the former governor entered the GOP presidential race. But she won’t, most likely, so this doc will serve as a reminder of how a community can shape a politician’s ambitions and how that same star politico can split a community down the middle.
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