★★★★

Made independent of his 2018 senatorial bid, David Modigliani’s Running With Beto documents the meteoric rise of Beto O’Rourke into the national spotlight.

The politics, liberal as they are, take a backseat to showing the grind campaigns have on candidate, staff, and family. With wife Ann and children often back home, O’Rourke canvassed Texas, often driving the roads himself, speaking to voters in all 254 counties and turning Texas into a potential battleground state for 2020 politics.

Modigliani's access is fascinating, the film is brilliantly edited, and we cannot help but become emotionally invested, even if we know how this all will end.

Running With Beto is playing May 17 and May 18 at the 2019 Seattle International Film Festival and premieres on HBO and HBO Go on May 28.
(Purchase tickets now)