Hearts Are Trump (2020)
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 United, we will not win with this film.
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Hearts Are Trump is a political drama indie film produced during the 2020 election.
The film follows an elderly activist, Wade, as he gathers up his neighbors, friends, and family to stay strong in their faith in hopes for Donald Trump to win the 2020 election. Along the way, Wade attempts to inspire hope in both his son-in-law and fellow priest after discovering their unhappiness in their religion. The film can be found on Vimeo.
Why This Film Won't Win
- This entire film is propaganda by Donald James Parker. It portrays Donald Trump as the perfect candidate for the presidency and claims that if Joe Biden is elected, it will ruin Christianity in America, as well as portrays liberals and woke individuals as violent people who do nothing but complain. Not only is this extremely controversial and mean-spirited, but it aged poorly after Biden was elected after the film was released.
- Despite preaching heavily about Christian ideology, the film doesn't have a strong grasp on the bible. For example, one character, Troy, excuses police brutality by saying that it's due to how stressful being a cop is, even though the Bible, Jesus specifically, condemns acts of violence in any manner or going on a transphobic rant even though Jesus preached to treat others equally.
- Poor acting from anyone in the production. Half of them sound bored or uninterested in their lines while others act unnaturally and constantly make weird faces to show their feelings.
- Scenes are very predictable: the main characters come in, have an argument, or rant about something going on in politics, and the scene ends.
- The editing is very poor, with it being very hard to hear what people are saying or showing long scenes that don't add anything to the plot. There are additional moments where it jumps to the same scene, but the characters have different expressions.
- The characters are extremely flat and essentially only exist to be mouthpieces for the film's makers concerning politics and religion.
- The film has an unrealistic grasp on posting videos online, thinking that posting one video will immediately gain attention and go viral.
- A lot of the "points" that the main characters use for their beliefs are essentially conspiracy theorists, such as saying that BLM is a government-funded group paid to divert attention to them. Even if BLM is not always perfect, it is still racist.
- The title card is confusing, as it shows the title amidst several animated cards on a table, even though no cards appear physically or vocally (although this might be a reference to a Trump Card).
Redeeming Qualities
- Due to how seriously the film takes itself, the unusual facial expressions, poor editing, and how the film aged poorly immediately upon release, it comes off as unintentionally hilarious.
- Although they are portrayed as antagonists, the liberal characters do bring up good points regarding political issues and the main characters' points.
Reception
Although it isn't a well-known film, it was critically panned by audiences and critics. It received some attention after being reviewed by YouTube comedian, Andy King, who heavily criticized its heavy-handed messaging and poorly done performances. Despite this, Andy King and audiences agree that the film is a "So Bad It's Good" type of film. It currently has a 1.1 on IMDb.
Trivia
- After the election ended and Joe Biden won, Donald James Parker published a book that is a continuation of this film and chronicles the characters handling the situation. It was likewise negatively reviewed.