http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/arts/television/01stel.html?_r=1&ref=television...“The War Room” it’s not. This film is at its heart about community organizing. The cameras are with the young organizers more often than they are with Mr. Obama. Viewers see the campaign’s effect through the eyes, and at one point through the tears, of Ronnie Cho, who at the beginning of the film is a caucus organizer in Iowa and at the end is the Maine field director.
For the voters who started to pay attention to Mr. Obama only during the primary campaign in 2008, the lengthy scenes in Iowa leading up to caucus night might be the most novel. Perhaps the most extraordinary footage comes from the Obamas’ home in Chicago, where the filmmakers watched as Michelle, Malia and Sasha played dominos and took turns talking to Mr. Obama on the phone.
In early 2006, Ms. Rice, Ms. Sams and the producer Edward Norton proposed a documentary to Mr. Obama, then a senator, well before his presidential run was pursued — although not necessarily before it was contemplated.
“We believed he would be an interesting prism through which to examine politics,” Mr. Norton said.
At a preliminary meeting with his spokesman Robert Gibbs, a presidential bid was the “elephant in the room,” Ms. Rice said.
They followed Mr. Obama to Illinois and to Africa in 2006, gradually gaining the trust of his family and staff. “Barack saw us show up everywhere, and he would always note it,” Ms. Rice said. “He’d look at us and say, ‘You guys are still here?’ “
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