'Nat Bates for Mayor' Subverts Notions
Not all politicians are created equal to their parties.
Dear Moviegoers,
Beginning a documentary with footage of a toxic oil refinery incident can set the stage for a pretty bleak story. And one would expect that story to be primarily about a corporate and environmental disaster. However, in a movie with a title like Nat Bates for Mayor, there’s this automatic confrontation of expectations between the subject and opening thesis that forms, and a sense of confusion around something that is ultimately about local politics. It’s an odd thing to see at the get-go, especially since its scale is so well-defined and small…at first. But, as the film moves along, so does a fulfilling and thoughtful presentation on the complexities of race, political affiliation, and community sentiment toward area leaders.
Did I miss a juxtaposition at the opening? A deeper meaning? Maybe.
Nat Bates is an African American member of the Richmond, California political makeup, and is running to be Mayor of the city - a position that he held years prior. Nat is a heavy-set but fairly friendly individual, shaking hands and making bridge-building speeches to various groups around the area, calculated but not cold. I don’t believe that the documentary makes clear what party he belongs to (he appears to be more of a moderate that swings either way, though I could be wrong) but the man shows off like he’s a hero of the black working class. He’s a classic local politician, but I never got the feeling of him being a huckster. He’s honest about being endorsed by a corporation like Chevron. Proud of it even.
While Nat Bates for Mayor reads as if it’s going to be about Nat specifically or solely, he is a character at the center of something larger going on and is a point of reference for the documentary to bounce off of. It’s a film that never plays coy or sugar-coats anything, even when it’s letting what’s captured on camera speak for itself.
On the surface there’s nothing “controversial” happening, just the business of running for office as usual. But what’s usual, as the movie makes clear, should be seen as something special. Nat, a black moderate-ish guy endorsed by a large contributor to the Richmond economy, is running against a white man on the local progressive ticket (seen meeting with Senator Bernie Sanders at one point) and a black immigrant novice running to change the regional system completely. As we get to know each man and their respective teams, we see that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to politics, and how there are things that break apart what a black politician is “supposed” to be, or how a so-called progressive can be as out of touch as anyone else. It’s all not so simple as donkeys and elephants. Not locally.
Making peace with an under-regulated entity like Chevron, a point of contention that some voters in the film have with Nat Bates, is explained as a potential way to fuel and fund the impoverished neighborhoods of his city, which used to be predominantly black but has long since been challenged in a tale of two communities scenario, where segregation is happening but is rarely called out for what it is. There could be conflict in Nat’s mind as to ideas of allegiance, but his overall attitude and swagger cover up and muddies any tells that he may have. I don’t think that the documentary is interested in personal human drama and arcs, but rather in straight depiction and careful definition of events which, as done here, can mean volumes.
Whether or not Chevron fixed the refinery issues or invested in poorer communities isn’t stated, as the film just stops once the election results come in and conclude. Where Nat Bates for Mayor began, on some dark archival video of a refinery accident, comes back around to a darker idea, one that is pretty true across the country: once the election ends, so does the attention and the fight. And the fight can be for many a problem, from corporate control to racial justice.
And, there it is. The answer. The juxtapositions. From tragedy to hope then hope to emptiness. As either end of the tale meets in the middle of the film, the documentary sees the whole picture of America and has only a presentation to offer - the answers are for us to figure out. 4/5
Nat Bates for Mayor is currently on Tubi and is available for rent or purchase.
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Sincerely Yours in Moviegoing,
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