Review

After the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, Adam Kinzinger was one of only ten Republican lawmakers who voted to impeach Donald Trump (his second impeachment, following the first in 2019), and one of just two Republicans to join the House Select Committee investigating the insurrection. As a result, he found himself utterly isolated. Once considered a frontrunner for governor of Illinois, Kinzinger was branded a traitor by fellow Republicans, supporters, and even some of his own relatives. What unfolds around Kinzinger in The Last Republican is not an isolated problem to the United States because it is strikingly similar to what some lawmakers in South Korea's People Power Party experienced after supporting the impeachment of the president following the December 3 martial law incident. It suggests a troubling global trend toward political polarization. Another notable aspect is Kinzinger's decision to participate in this documentary, even though its director, Steve Pink, holds vastly different political views. Kinzinger even jokingly refers to Pink as a "communist" (to which Pink corrects to "progressive"), yet he agrees to the project. The reason why Kinzinger, who has been strongly identifying as a Republican from a young age, was able to come together with Steve Pink is because he considers Pink's comedy film Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) a masterpiece. Over the course of a year of filming, the two form a deep connection. The key questions posed by The Last Republican have deep implications to the current political landscape: "What defines a true conservative?" and "Can people with opposing political views find common ground?" The film ultimately answers the latter with a hopeful "yes." (MOON Seok)

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