“If I’m not going to be a civil rights lawyer right now, in this moment, when?” asks one of the characters featured in “The Fight.” A trailer for the upcoming doc about the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ALCU) battle for equity just dropped. The project picks up the week following Trump’s inauguration, when his administration implemented the “Muslim ban” — i.e. the travel and immigration restrictions placed on those from Muslim-majority countries — and chronicles cases dealing with family separation at the border, reproductive rights, voting rights, and the military’s expulsion of trans soldiers.
Of course, not all Americans appreciate what the ACLU is doing. “You’re a filthy organization,” says one particularly impassioned caller in a voicemail message. “Obviously most of you are pedophiles.” Despite the overwhelming odds they are up against and the personal insults hurled their way, the attorneys refuse to back down. “All I’ve ever known how to do is fight, and so we just keep fighting — it’s what we do,” an ACLU lawyer explains.
Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman, and Eli Despres directed “The Fight.” The former two collaborated on “Weiner,” a portrait of fallen congressman Anthony Weiner during his ill-fated NYC mayoral campaign that took home a Sundance Grand Jury Prize and a Critics’ Choice Documentary Award.
“The Fight” will be released in theaters and on demand July 31. Kerry Washington, last seen in “Little Fires Everywhere,” is among the project’s exec producers.
