2013 Sundance Docs in Focus: THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DICK CHENEY

This year’s Documentary Premieres comes to a close: RJ Cutler and Greg Finton’s THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DICK CHENEY, a portrait of the former US vice president.

Sundance Program Description:

How did a college dropout who was arrested for a DUI twice in the same year become the single-most-powerful nonpresidential political figure in American history? Filmmakers R. J. Cutler (whose THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE screened at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival) and Greg Finton answer that question and others in what is sure to be the definitive film about the fascinating life and legacy of Dick Cheney.

Featuring exclusive interviews with Cheney, his closest allies, and his fiercest critics, THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DICK CHENEY charts the former vice president’s journey from a jailhouse in small-town Wyoming to the inner sanctums of the White House. Revered by his supporters and loathed by his detractors, Cheney enjoyed a career that spanned four decades, culminating in his eight years as the most controversial and, in his words, “most consequential” vice president ever.

Cutler and Finton’s brilliant film unfolds like a chess game, carefully balancing the illuminating philosophy, complex psychology, arrogance, and dedication of this family man, fisherman, and staunch patriot.

Some Background:
Several of Cutler’s films have been to Park City – as director, THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE (2009), which picked up the documentary cinematography award, and ANITA LIBERTY (1997); as producer with THIN (2006); and as executive producer with MONTE HELLMAN: AMERICAN AUTEUR (1997). First-time director and veteran editor Finton is also a Sundance alum, having edited WAITING FOR “SUPERMAN” (2010) and IT MIGHT GET LOUD (2009).

Why You Should Watch:
Anyone interested in the Bush presidency and its legacy will be eager to see Cutler and Finton’s revelatory profile of his second-in-command. Appropriately balanced by critical voices, the project becomes neither a hagiography nor a one-sided attack. Cheney sticks with his convictions, no matter how controversial, and proves surprisingly forthcoming about his at-times contentious relationship with the former president, resulting in a fascinating condensation of the Bush administration from Cheney’s distinct point of view.

More Info:
For Cutler and Finton’s thoughts on the film, check out their Meet the Artists profile for Sundance. For screening dates and times at Sundance, click the link in the first paragraph.