‘War Game’ Trailer: Another January 6 Threatens Our Democracy in Simulation Doc

If there is another insurrection, the government is prepared. So is the sentiment behind simulation-documentary “War Game,” which thrusts government officials into an all-too-real scenario.

Documentarians Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber co-direct the feature centering on a group of national-security experts ranging from former senators to CNN pundits as they stage an elaborate war game to anticipate another insurrection.

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Moss previously directed “Girls State” with Amanda McBaine, which also centered on a mock-government scenario. The sequel to “Boys State” debuted at Sundance, just like “War Game.”

The “War Game” synopsis reads: A real-life political thriller set on January 6, 2025, “War Game” imagines a nationwide insurrection in which members of the U.S. military defect to support the losing Presidential candidate, while the winning candidate and his advisors — played by an all-star roster of senior officials from the last five administrations — war games the crisis in the White House Situation Room. They have six hours to save democracy as the country teeters on the brink of civil war.

Former Montana Governor Steve Bullock pretends to be president while his cabinet comprising of former senators like Heidi Heitkamp and Doug Jones advise him in a mock Situation Room. The drama unfolds as Congress looks to certify a highly-contested 2024 election, where the incumbent is threatened by his opponent’s supporters to overthrow the government.

At least that could never actually happen, right?

“War Game” premiered at Sundance, from which the IndieWire review applauded the premise as a “skillful argument for why competent experts should be put in charge of things.”

The review reads: “Picture what would happen if Aaron Sorkin took a job as an escape room designer, and you’ll have a decent picture of the game being played. […] There’s a certain breed of political junkie who will be profoundly moved by the film, but that person already follows all of its ‘cast’ members on Threads and has purchased 60 percent of their memoirs. Every scene simply preaches to the converted. Watching these former leaders act out what they would do if they returned to power, it’s fair to wonder if their time would have been better spent figuring out how to get there.”

“War Game” premieres August 2 in theaters. Check out the trailer below.

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