The Plot Against America (2020)

Directed by: Thomas Schlamme, Minkie Spiro | 360 minutes | drama, thriller | Actors: Winona Ryder, Anthony Boyle, Zoe Kazan, Morgan Spector, Michael Kostroff, David Krumholtz, Azhy Robertson, Caleb Malis, Jacob Laval, John Turturro, Ben Cole, Kristen Sieh, Steven Maier, Billy Carter, Jarrett Winters Morley, Caroline Kaplan Eleanor Reissa, Philip Hoffman, Graydon Yosowitz, Ed Moran, Douglas Schneider, Bob Leszczak, Lee Tergesen

With ‘The Plot Against America’, American author Philip Roth, born in 1933, wrote fictional memoirs about how his childhood as a Jewish boy would have turned out differently if not Franklin D. Roosevelt, but Charles Lindbergh had been elected president in 1940 and America with Nazi-Americans. Germany would have agreed not to get involved in the war in Europe. Released in 2004, the book follows the fortunes of the Roth family during the war years in an increasingly overtly anti-Semitic America. David Simon, known for ‘The Wire’, among other things, received his blessing just before Roth’s death in 2018 to process the book into a mini-series together with his writing partner Ed Burns.

For the series, the family name has been changed to Levin, but otherwise the book is well followed. Father Herman (Morgan Spector) sees through candidate President Lindbergh early on and is thrilled that so few people want to see him as a fascist. He prefers to take to the streets to express his opinion. Eldest brother Sandy (Caleb Malis) wants to resist his parents and becomes idolized by aviator Lindbergh. Mother Bess (Zoe Kazan) soon realizes which way things are going and sees flights to Canada as the best option, but is persuaded to stay. And youngest son Philip (Azhy Robertson) looks shocked and tries to help his mother keep the peace in the house.

In the book you see most of the events through the eyes of the young Philip, but the series opts for a more general view. Because Philips memories are no longer the driving force, a number of characters from the book have been further developed in the series. This way you spend considerably more time with live-in cousin Alvin (Anthony Boyle), who goes to Canada to fight the Nazis in the army and returns disillusioned. And with Evelyn (Winona Ryder), Beth’s sister, who becomes involved with Lionel Bengelsdorf (John Turtorro), the rabbi who convinces himself and his community that Lindbergh really isn’t an anti-Semite and becomes his mouthpiece. The mutual tensions are increasing because the pressure from the outside increases.

In the book, the question of guilt of the young Philip still played a big role in the book (because of him the boy next door Seldon (Jacob Laval) has to move, as a result of which he and his mother are in extra danger as Jews in foreign countries), that dimension disappears in the series to the background. On the other hand, the family dynamics have been worked out all the more sharply. Father Herman’s jaws tighten and he listens less and less to Mother Bess’ rational arguments. She, in turn, is diametrically opposed to her sister Evelyn, who continues to justify Lindbergh’s behaviour. And no matter how well his parents talk to Sandy, he must and will resist them and parrot the anti-Jewish propaganda from the Lindbergh camp without any problem.

David Simon, although nearly 30 years younger than Roth, was raised in a Jewish family himself, so was able to incorporate certain details of family life into the script first-hand. Also in the decor, by the way: Simon has used his own family photos to decorate the house of the Levin family. The way the camera swings through the house, around the Levins, not only brings a lot of momentum and movement to the scenes, but also ensures that the decoration takes on a starring role. In terms of appearance, this is in any case a very successful series. Although there were two directors (Minkie Spiro for Episode 1-3 and Thomas Schlamme for Episode 4-6), stylistically a unity has clearly been created. Incidentally, it is incomprehensible that the series was only released on DVD in the Netherlands and not on the much superior Blu-ray.

Simon says he only really understood the eloquence of the book when Donald Trump was elected president of America. And that might make sense. The title ‘The Plot Against America’ seems to be about outside forces that are forcing America to its knees. But that’s only part of the story. It’s about thriving the racist, anti-Semitic, and white-nationalist sentiment that lives in many (white) Americans, and that turns out all too easily when someone is in power who doesn’t speak out against it, or worse, which fuels it. The series misses a great opportunity here, by continuing to focus on only the anti-Semitic aspect. Nevertheless, the warning that this could continue to happen still stands proudly.