Tribeca Film Festival 2023: AGAINST ALL ENEMIES

White supremacy is far from new in the United States. The most recognized in the history of the States was the Klu Klux Klan, their burning crosses and white hoods as synonymous with white supremacy as the Swastika is with the genocide of Jews in World War II. History charts the rise and fall of white supremacy in the USA, its ups and downs many times aligning with a call for equal rights and newfound freedoms. With Charlie Sadoff‘s documentary Against All Enemies, audiences are given a film that not only charts the evolution of white supremacist hate groups in the United States but extends further, attempting to understand why these domestic hate groups are so appealing to many of our country’s veterans.

“Defending the Constitution… against all enemies foreign and domestic”

Having read the description of Against All Enemies, I couldn’t help but to think of Joshua Seftel‘s Oscar-nominated short film Stranger at the Gate. The brilliantly crafted short chronicles the events that almost came to pass following the return of a US Marine to his hometown that now contained a mosque. The hate of insurgents is not left on the battlefield when the war ends, Richard McKinney suffering from PTSD and Islamophobia upon his return. As he plans to attack the mosque, the welcoming nature and the sense of community of the individuals worshipping inside opens the opportunity to grow and heal. The words of Richard McKinney held strong in my mind as I watched Against All Enemies, many of our veterans returning home to a country changed after a twenty-year war.

As the film posits, everyone is violent after warfare. It is an abrasive and inclusive statement that does not single out veterans, but the United States as a whole. Transversing the country, reaching Texas, New York, Oregon and DC, Against All Enemies works to prove its hypothesis. It introduces us to a series of talking heads, each falling within the categories of observational study and willing participants. A current member of the Three Percenters, a former leader of Proud Boys, and a former veteran who had once been propagandized each share their viewpoints – what caused them to join, why they left and their views on the country. Beyond editing, Sadoff gives an open platform to embrace all areas of discussion with each of these men, allowing their stories and beliefs to be presented to the audience. Much like Seftel for Stranger at the Gate, Sadoff gives space to these men and experts to be heard.

As it works through the evolution of white supremacy in the United States, many times following the end of a war, Against All Enemies wants to understand, wants its audience to understand, why many veterans have been drawn to these groups. The feeling of combat is an easy transition, the loss of camaraderie of their fellow brother and a changed world that seems threatening are key elements these hate groups prey on, propagandizing the country they have defended against them. As we listen to experts and the men who have been, and still are, a part of these groups work through the data, the history and the many times unacknowledged psychology, Against All Enemies is able to craft an incredible sense of empathy. Not an excuse for behavior, but a sadness that resides with the viewer even after the film ends.

Understanding with a Sense of Urgency

Yet, as strong as the empathy is, Against All Enemies also feels like a warning to the masses. Canada categorizes the Proud Boys as an international terrorist group. Here in the United States, we had a President telling them to “Stand back and stand by”. There is a vital urgency to Against All Enemies that Sadoff wants his audience to feel, but more importantly, understand.

As the film worked through its theories, its empathetic look at affected veterans and the evolution of white supremacy, Against All Enemies wants us to see the difficulties in both challenging and stopping these hate groups. In the United States, it is the interpretation of law that rules the land. But there are no laws for prosecuting a domestic hate group as a whole – no matter the amount of evidence. Domestic terrorism in the United States is not held to the same standards and protocols as terrorism enacted by a foreign body. Individuals can be prosecuted for their actions, but the crimes of the group can not be federally charged.

In the past hate groups have lost their power through bipartisan agreement of the dangers they posed. When President Trump was given the chance to condemn the actions of the Proud Boys, he refused. So have many others in our highest forms of government. Against All Enemies speaks to the hope though, that white supremacist groups have been stopped in the past, and can be again. But reminds us that it will require the unified condemnation of the government – something that does not exist today. And as these hate groups begin to infiltrate the lower levels of state administrations and Congress, the federal government isn’t too far off the horizon – and those already in power are doing little to unify to stop them. It is as bleak as it is heartbreaking hearing the concept of civil war and the loss of our democracy could be just a couple of years away if we don’t unify against hate. If we don’t unify as a country.

Conclusion

Against All Enemies does begin to feel its runtime, its material engaging, but heavy. There is also a curious nature that begins to form toward the film’s final half-hour as viewers will come to realize that Against All Enemies mostly only covers up until summer, early fall of 2022 during the January 6th committee hearings and the midterm election campaigns. As bleak as the film may leave viewers, I found myself wondering what the filmmakers, the experts, and white supremacist members feel now following the failure of the “red wave” at the polls and the announcement of Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, and Tim Scott  – and soon to be Mike Pence – as the Republican Party nominations. This continued curiosity speaks to the effectiveness of the film and the information it was able to convey – I wanted to know more from both sides since the time of filming this documentary had ended.

Vital and urgent, Against All Enemies is surprising in the emotions it garners from its audience, always resolute to is overall message, but unafraid to listen and have a conversation.

Against All Enemies premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival on June 8, 2023!

Watch Against All Enemies