client 9 (miff film #4)

Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer has been an absolute highlight of the festival. It's a well-crafted documentary (unsurprising since it's directed by Alex Gibney) about a fascinating man.

Hearing the full story behind the Spitzer scandal put a whole new light on the subject, and I fell for him, hard. I think I was still a little bruised from having watched Inside Job a few weeks ago (and I highly recommend watching this first and then Client 9), and knowing that Spitzer was there, trying to regulate Wall Street made me respect the crap out of him. Even though I knew how the story was going to play out, I wanted more for him. I wanted him to become Governor so he could keep doing good and honest work. But he made too many fat-cat enemies and they went after him and brought him down. (Okay, Spitzer had a hand in bringing himself down, what with the prostitutes and all, but I don't think that's the point.)

Politics and sex will always go hand-in-hand and I think this documentary shows how devastating the repercussions can be when promising people make bad choices. And get caught.

5 stars!