The simulation of January 6th becomes all too real in Doc

If another uprising occurs, the government is prepared. That is also the mood behind the simulation documentary “War Game,” which places government officials in an all too real scenario.

Documentary filmmakers Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber co-direct the feature film, which centers on a group of national security experts – from former senators to CNN commentators – who stage an elaborate war game to forestall another insurrection.

Moss had previously directed “Girls State” with Amanda McBaine, which also dealt with a fake government scenario. The sequel to “Boys State” premiered at Sundance, just like “War Game”.

The synopsis of War Game reads: War Game is a real-life political thriller set on January 6, 2025, about a nationwide uprising in which members of the U.S. military defect to support the defeated presidential candidate, while the winning candidate and his advisers – played by an all-star cast of senior officials from the last five administrations – play out the crisis in the White House Situation Room. They have six hours to save democracy as the country teeters on the brink of civil war.

Former Montana Governor Steve Bullock poses as the president while his cabinet of former senators including Heidi Heitkamp and Doug Jones advise him in a simulated Situation Room. The drama unfolds as Congress tries to certify a hotly contested 2024 election in which the incumbent faces threats from his opponent’s supporters to overthrow the government.

At least that could never happen, right?

War Game premiered at Sundance, and IndieWire’s review praised the premise as “a clever argument for why competent experts should be put in charge of things.”

The review states: “Imagine what would happen if Aaron Sorkin took a job as an escape room designer, and you have a good picture of the game being played. (…) There is a certain kind of political junkie who will be deeply moved by the film, but that person already follows all the members of the ‘cast’ on Threads and has bought 60 percent of their memoirs. Every scene is simply a sermon for the converted. Watching these former leaders act out what they would do if they returned to power, it’s fair to wonder if they wouldn’t have been better off spending their time figuring out how to get there.”

War Game hits theaters August 2. Watch the trailer below.