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Brett Morgen’s follow-up to his captivating doc THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE, which chronicled the life of infamous Hollywood producer Robert Evans, takes an unconventional approach to the story of the trial of the Chicago 8, a group of the leading anti-war demonstrators following the riots that occurred at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Mixing contemporary protest music with motion-capture animated court re-enactments and archival film footage, the story of the demonstrations and the following trial are intercut creating drama, humor and poignancy. Including defense attorneys William Kunstler and Leonard Weinglass into the group, the Chicago 10 were railroaded by a system that seems to be putting the 1960s youth culture on trial not just eight individuals.

In re-enactments of the trial, an all-star cast voices the key characters. Hank Azaria (TV’s MAD ABOUT YOU) voices Abbie Hoffman, who eagerly steps into the spotlight as the key character. The curly longhaired iconoclast was as much a showman as he was an activist. He viewed the entire political system as a carnival fueled by mass media’s desire for big ratings. He never lets an opportunity slip by to provoke the aged conservative judge Julius Hoffman (Roy Scheider, JAWS). At one point in the trial when Bobby Seale (Jeffrey Wright, CASINO ROYALE) demands that his rights be recognized, the judge has him gagged and strapped to his chair. Despite only being at the Convention for one day, the Black Panther founder was charged with the rest as a conspirator to riot. Highlighting even more what was really on trial, prosecutor Thomas Foran (Nick Nolte, 48 HRS.) calls poet Allen Ginsberg (Azaria) to the stand and asks him to recite his poem about wet dreams. What did that have to do with the riots?

While the harder modern music feels out of place at first, the tone fits the anger the film portrays at the miscarriage of justice and the abuse of the Chicago police under the leadership of Mayor Richard Daley. When activist leaders planned to hold anti-war demonstrations during the Convention, Daley tried to make it as difficult as possible, calling on the cops to shoot any looters. The actions of the city seemed to push what could have been just a gathering in Lincoln Park into a greater struggle against the establishment. While Morgen firmly falls on the side of the accused, he doesn’t shy away from showing how tit for tat moves on both sides led to the violent outcomes. But this film clearly argues that the police’s use of force was massively disproportionate to the actions of the protestors.

The motion-capture animation, along with a few scenes of limited Flash animation, isn’t great, but it works for the film’s purpose. The animated re-enactments paint the trial as a cartoon where Abbie was Bugs Bunny and the judge was Elmer Fudd. Morgen blends the re-enactments with actual footage seamlessly. Never once was I distracted with the actors voicing the Chicago 10, while hearing them for real in the next scene. Especially driven by its contemporary soundtrack, the film doesn’t hide parallels to current U.S. politics. Fused with clear passion, CHICAGO 10 captures the sentiment of the era it portrays, while making the film feel completely contemporary at the same time. With its experimental approaches, the film becomes captivating in surprising ways, because the style only enhances the comedy of the trial and underlines the drama of the riots.

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