A story about journalists chasing the story of a lifetime makes for compelling cinema. Usually they're uncovering injustices and ugly truths, and they work tooth-and-nail to get all the proof they need before publication. There's tension, urgency, adrenaline and finally, vindication.
With Truth, however, the other side of this is shown - when there's a 'great' story to be told but pressing deadlines force you into action before you're actually ready to go and your sources haven't been authenticated and their stories are uncorroborated.
The movie is based on the 2005 book Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power by Mary Mapes (Blanchett). Former CBS 60 Minutes producer Mapes' career ended in scandal following a story involving some unauthenticated documents suggesting that US President George W Bush had a less-than-exemplary military record and had used familial connections to enlist in the National Guard and avoid being sent to Vietnam.
Dan Rather, Mary Mapes, Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett on set
It has the building blocks of an incredible story as they try to expose a sitting president who is running for re-election. But in their need to be the ones to break the story they dropped the ball and couldn't actually prove that the documents they were basing their story on were legitimate.
After they went to air, cracks began to appear quickly and people became more focussed on whether they had authenticated the documents, as opposed to the information that the documents contained.
While the team's frustration is totally understandable, it bothers me that the tone of the film suggests that we are supposed to have sympathy for them. They made allegations they weren't able to prove, with documents that looked as though they could've been typed up on Microsoft Word. So really, they should have waited, and their defence is void.
It's the performances that save Truth. Cate Blanchett is stellar, as always, and it's refreshing to see a strong, career-driven woman on the screen that has a healthy home life and relationship. She's the main breadwinner of the family; her husband stays home with their son, and even when her job is taking over and she's away for long periods of time, he never makes her feel guilty about it.
Robert Redford plays legendary news anchor Dan Rather to perfection. It would have been great to get to know his character a bit better and to explore his relationship with Blanchett's Mapes more. The pair have great chemistry and the screen lights up when they are interacting.
Truth has an air of a film that thinks it's important. The story is fascinating but it would have been better served to portray it as what it actually is - a cautionary tale about quickie journalism and acting before you have solid proof.
Sinead Brennan
