These Awful GOP Tax Reform Tweets Are Pure Cinematic Gold

Just in time for the 55th annual New York Film Festival, the GOP has released a series of “short films” (OK, they’re tweets) that artfully touch on the real world impact of the tax reform plan Donald Trump has put forth. Just kidding they’re full of lies!

The horrible plan raises the lowest tax bracket while cutting taxes for those in the highest bracket. It sends half of its benefits to the richest 1% and also allows wealthy business owners to drop their tax rate from 39.5% to 25% through a fun loophole. The plan could potentially put the country $2 trillion more into debt over the course of the next 10 years.

Having said that, it takes once-in-lifetime mix of thought-provoking screenwriting, graceful-but-deliberate cinematography, and riveting acting to create something like this. Something that truly blends a complicated and thorny tax reform plan that is sure to devastate non-wealthy Americans for years to come with the relatability and groundedness of someone named Chad to bring you a touching story told in an innovative and unique way. It’s the Blind Side meets the texting parts of Mindy Project meets the scene in any Jake Gyllenhaal movie where you realize, he’s…just a man.

I give you a triptych of refined storytelling, told via extended Quicktime screenshots of scripted conversations—the year’s most powerful examples of cinéma vérité.

Not only does the video conveniently leave out the fact that the “death tax” only affects an estimated .2% of America’s ultra-rich, but we are treated to a delectable 10-second dramatic pause from Chad, a simple millionaire farmer boy reeling from the loss of his father and the almost-loss of his million-dollar estate. In a brilliant performance, he’s clearly thinking, as evidenced by the 10-second ellipses, but still guarded. Palme D’Or anyone???

A video of an iMessage conversation that lasts a minute and 18 seconds is truly the double VHS tapes of Gandhi of our time. Also, yes, taxes are complicated and everyone hates doing them, but “simplifying” taxes, whether getting rid of the amount of lines on the paperwork or consolidating tax brackets so that the mega-rich can take more of our nation’s wealth, amounts to what we in the entertainment industry call “classic misdirection.” TALK ABOUT OSCAR BAIT.

Small-town gal wants to make it in the big leagues? It’s La La Land but for our generation. Criterion Collection, here we come!!!