AMERICA 2024 – THE IRRECONCILABLES

4 x 52 minutes | Documentary series | 4 x 52 minutes | ZDF/Arte | Nordend Film
Written & directed by: Jan Tenhaven & Jens Strohschnieder

The documentary series explores the election year of 2024 in a deeply divided America. It follows people grappling with issues such as inflation, illegal immigration, and political disillusionment. A sheriff on the Mexican border feels abandoned by the government, while a Trump supporter in Nevada runs for the Senate. A pastor travels the country, trying to convince Christians not to vote for Trump. Young people, like a first-time voter in Missouri, feel unrepresented by the political elites. Activists in California are fighting the opioid crisis, and social inequalities are laid bare. After an attack on Trump and Biden’s withdrawal from the race, Kamala Harris steps into the spotlight. The documentary powerfully portrays how America’s political and social fractures shape the lives of its citizens in 2024.

EPISODE 1: WINTER – COLD CAMPAIGN

In January 2024, the November election feels far away, and it’s still unclear if Donald Trump will run again for the Republicans. The big topics this month are high inflation and the increasing number of illegal immigrants. Sheriff Mark Dannels in Cochise County, Arizona, near the Mexican border, is frustrated by the situation. Mexican drug cartels are smuggling people across, and he feels powerless to stop them. He knows the tricks of the human traffickers well but feels abandoned by the politicians.
For Ronda Kennedy, the hot phase of her Senate campaign starts in January. The black lawyer is running for the Republicans in Nevada. For the first time, she faces her rivals in a debate in Reno. How will the staunch Trump supporter fare in the discussion?
Evangelical pastor Doug Pagitt has made it his mission in this election year: he will do everything he can to prevent Trump’s re-election. He travels across the country in a bus, trying to persuade Christians not to vote for Trump. His goal in January: to protest at a Trump rally in Iowa, where the Republican primaries are being held. But will they let him in?
In 2024, the deep divides in American society are more visible than ever. The documentary series “America 2024 – The Irreconcilables” takes the audience on a journey through a torn America, filled with hatred, agitation, and resignation, experiencing some surprising twists in the middle of the election year.

 

EPISODE 2: SPRING – DEEP DIVISIONS

In spring 2024, political apathy paralyses the USA. The race is still between Biden and Trump, but the campaign is slow. A young first-time voter in Missouri feels unrepresented by either of the two old men. In Pennsylvania, a mayor is fighting to revive his struggling industrial town as more workers turn to Trump.
The young first-time voter Emma Crutchfield from Missouri is completely lost about who to vote for. Neither of the two old men represents her, and yet the 18-year-old wants to make a difference politically. Will she end up giving her vote to a third candidate out of frustration?
In Pennsylvania, volunteer mayor Rich Lattanzi is doing everything he can to breathe life back into the crumbling industrial town of Clairton. Many of the workers who used to vote Democrat have now turned to Trump.
Ronda Kennedy, the black lawyer, continues her personal battle in Nevada: she wants to run for the Republicans as a Senate candidate. The mother of five presents herself as a fierce opponent of gun laws. She films herself for her Instagram channel practising shooting with a machine gun and sees no problem with citizens using violence against an unpopular government.

 

EPISODE 3: EARLY SUMMER – WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

By early summer, everything points to a Trump victory. He is ahead in all the polls, especially in the swing states. The Republican Senate candidate, Ronda Kennedy, attends a Trump rally in Las Vegas, the last one before the attack. In San Francisco, two young men try to get homeless youth off the streets.
By June, there are just over four months to the election, and everything points to Donald Trump becoming president again. He is ahead in all the swing states, including Arizona.
Here, Republican politician Ronda Kennedy attends the “Trump Rally” in Las Vegas, the last one with relatively loose security measures. At the next one in July, there will be an attack on Trump.
Ronda meets with the rappers of “Latinos for Trump” and “Blacks for Trump” and films a music video with them at the rally, demanding justice for Trump. Then the big day arrives: the primaries. Ronda votes for herself, and then the results come in: will she be the Republican candidate for the Senate?
In San Francisco, two young men from the organisation “Larkin Street” are trying to prevent people from overdosing on fentanyl. Austin and Charlos are on the streets in the infamous Tenderloin district, handing out antidotes, fresh socks, and small supplies for people living on the streets. They are particularly focused on getting young homeless people off the streets.
In southern California, a Mexican immigrant works as a cleaner in the homes of the super-rich. While she lives next to the motorway, her clients spend most of their time on the beach. Nowhere else are the differences between rich and poor in America more evident than in California.

 

EPISODE 4: SUMMER – A FRESH WIND

In summer, events spiral: after an attack on Trump and Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race, Vice President Harris energetically enters the campaign. A pastor tries to mobilise voters against Trump at the Democratic Convention, while in Pennsylvania, a mayor and an addiction counsellor fight the fentanyl crisis.
In summer 2024, dramatic twists occur: after an attack on Trump in July and Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris, previously in the background, steps into the spotlight with great energy. After months of stagnation, the campaign suddenly picks up pace.
Emma Crutchfield, the young first-time voter in Missouri, has now started her studies at a small state college – and is enthusiastic about Kamala Harris. Finally, she feels she has a real choice. New energy in the life of the 18-year-old – both personally and politically.
At the edge of the Democratic Convention in Chicago, liberal evangelical pastor and political activist Doug Pagitt mingles with supporters and opponents. Through countless conversations and public speeches, he aims to convince the sceptics not to vote for Donald Trump on November 5th.
Meanwhile, in a struggling industrial town in Pennsylvania, the mayor hopes for the start of construction on a medical centre and community building, while an addiction counsellor desperately battles the fentanyl crisis. The powerful synthetic opioid has hit the poorer parts of the USA particularly hard.