Ajax Phillips

Freak Power: The Ballot Or The Bomb (2020) Director

Freak Power: The Ballot or the Bomb takes the viewer into the turbulent political world of 1970 America and Hunter S. Thompson’s campaign for sherif of Pitkin County, Colorado, where Aspen is the county seat. The film follows the irreverent and imaginative campaign of the outlaw journalist as well as the polarized politics of America in the midst of the Nixon ad-ministration. During an era when many young people thought the US might be heading for another revolution, Thompson’s progressive and radical ideas resonated with a generation that was deeply disillusioned and actively seeking alternatives to political norms. As Thompson and his friends grapple with the challenges of trying to transform the political landscape in Aspen, they be-come ensnared in the corruption and cronyism of local politics. Soon there are death threats, bombings, an agent provocateur and Aspen becomes an ideological battleground for what “The American Dream” really means. America today is at another crossroads in history and Thompson’s message, that people must choose between making democracy work or potentially facing a violent revolution, is more relevant than ever before. Though told through the lens of a singularly irreverent personality, Freak Power: The Ballot or the Bomb is the story of the American dream and how powerful interests collude to undermine democracy.