All-American nightmare
A chilling drama imagines the US in the grip of an ambitious Right-wing populist during WW2 – with eerie omens for today’s divided nation
The year is 1940. In Europe, the war appears to be all but over, as Hitler’s armies roll to victory both in the east and the west at frightening, breakneck speed.
Thousands of miles away in New Jersey, such events are seemingly just a distant horror for one Jewish family, the Levins. But life in America takes a dramatic turn when an ambitious populist makes a bid for the White House. Aviator Charles Lindbergh has been an authentic all-American hero ever since he made history in 1927 with the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight. Now he promises to keep the US neutral amid the growing global bloodshed – and warns against the malign influence of certain Jews...
For insurance agent Herman Levin and his wife Bess, there’s a nastiness to the direction politics is taking. But can Lindbergh really be all that bad when – confusingly – he even has the support of Rabbi Lionel Bengelsdorf (John Turturro)? The rabbi’s message is comfortingly reassuring enough to win the support of Bess’s singleton sister, Evelyn (Winona Ryder, whose career is now firmly back in the ascendancy after her thrilling turn in Stranger Things).
So begins a chilling vision of how the past might have played out, as adapted from Philip Roth’s dystopian 2004 novel by The Wire creator David Simon.
This is a disturbing picture of the way in which democracy can be slowly but surely poisoned by the forces of extremism, first felt through whispered remarks and sidelong glances, long before overt violence and fascism take hold.
What gives this six-part series such power is the sheer credibility of the story. The turbulent events in the US over recent months and the upcoming presidential election add an extra element of topicality to the story.
Watch and pray that this ‘what if’ doesn’t eerily presage a descent into darkness all too soon.