Liberal director Steve Pink made a film about conservative Adam Kinzinger. What was he thinking?

Director Steve Pink, a self-described liberal, was an unlikely candidate to direct a film about former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, often labeled a “staunch” conservative.

The Illinois filmmaker's credits are included Grosse Pointe Blank, High Fidelity and not one, but two Whirlpool time machine Films. But Kinzinger was a fascinating character to follow: Kinzinger was a prominent member of the House Special Committee on the January 6 attacks and faced severe backlash from his constituents and fellow Republicans. And the year Pink's cameras were rolling, Kinzinger was ultimately eliminated from re-election.

The last Republican has made the rounds at major film festivals, including Toronto and Chicago, but has yet to be picked up by a distributor for a wider release. WBEZ host Mary Dixon spoke with Pink about behind-the-scenes moments, the stress of Jan. 6 and the director's surprising chemistry — and now friendship — with Kinzinger. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

You're from Evanston, you're a Hollywood director, and your politics are left-wing. Why would you take on a project that features a prominent Republican at the center?

I don't know, Mary. What the hell was I thinking?

You're so known for comedy, film and theater, but here you are making a documentary about this very serious subject and a very serious Republican who is truly one of the last of the old school.

I've always been a political junkie, and you're right when you say that Adam Kinzinger was someone I never thought I'd make a film about. But (this was) an opportunity to make a political documentary about someone who rebelled against Donald Trump and his own party after January 6th, and for that he lost his job and many of his friends. His extended family members wrote a letter to the New York Times calling him a member of the devil's army. And so for me he was an incredibly compelling documentary subject.

Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP

Who do you think the audience for this film is?

I think it's everyone. It's the profile of someone who sacrificed a lot for what he believed in, and I think that's a real, relatable theme. It's always been interesting to me that his job description actually includes upholding the Constitution. And so the fact that 140 Republicans decided to renege on their oath (Editor's note: by resisting efforts to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election) is kind of shocking. And yet it just seems to be something that everyone – maybe not necessarily takes for granted, but doesn't think is such a big deal. And Adam obviously thought his oath to the country was a big deal. I think that's an understandable thing. I think when someone stands up for their truly held beliefs, I think that's a film that people can see the meaning and value of in their own lives.

You grew up in Evanston. Adam Kinzinger grew up in central Illinois and was a congressman from northern Illinois. You simply come from completely different regions and politically completely different places, which Kinzinger immediately expresses in the film. He even calls you a communist, and I'm not sure you agree with that. Why did you leave this exchange?

Well, I would immediately correct him and say: progressive, but safe. I have had many conversations that involved a lively back and forth between us. At the beginning of the film he says, “I think you despise my views,” something I disagree with and that was kind of my initial feeling. But then we develop a kind of friendship as I film him going through the experiences of his last year in Congress, and the film becomes a kind of film about the importance of civil discourse. That was a change – for example, I entered into the production of the film as a brave person. And then it essentially evolved into this movie about two people with opposing views who were able to figure out how to get along.

In the end you call him brother.

I don't think anyone in this country, if you asked them directly whether things have gotten too hot or not, wouldn't say, “Yes, this is a national problem.” And that's why I think we have to do that in the Being able to find a way not only to communicate, but also to recognize the humanity in the person you are talking to, even if you don't agree with a single thing, will undoubtedly be central to the health and future of our country.

The documentary is in many ways a behind-the-scenes autopsy of the House special committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. What surprised you most about this process and how does it show up in the film?

Well, we were just so lucky and I'm so grateful that (Mississippi Rep.) Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the committee, let our camera into the hearing room – that we were the only camera besides the C-. SPAN cameras to capture what was going on in the room and you could feel what was at stake for everyone. That was something you don't necessarily see on TV. It's cut a certain way. As a television viewer, you take in information, but when you're in the room, it's noticeable. It was striking. Everyone there knew that this was an extraordinary moment and that telling this story was of the utmost importance.

They also show the blow to Kinzinger's service on the special committee. It's fast. It's brutal. In the film we see how employees and family members deal with these verbal threats and death threats, and you were there too. What was it like to see that behind the scenes?

At first, when the death threats first came, it was difficult for everyone to understand how serious they were. I mean, you can call your congressman, which many people do, and complain about anything. And some are more extreme than others.

But the more death threats there were, the scarier and more cruel they became. Everyone in the office, Adam Kinzinger's co-workers and Adam too, had to take real precautions. There is a point in the film where the staff talks about all the precautions they had to take. There were emergency buttons under their desks. They had Capitol Police outside Adam's office. Adam ended up needing a personal escort from Capitol Police in Washington and then also a security company outside his home in Channahon, Illinois, where Sophia, his wife, had just given birth to their son Christian. So it was very, very serious and, I think, scary, but everyone knew that they had to keep doing the work and that it was important to all of them. They all banded together as employees to continue doing the work of the office.

I think a lot of people don't realize how young a lot of congressional staff are, and you show the emotional impact on these young people in this office, the impact of this abuse and these threats. Why did you think it was important to include that?

When I was in the office and the camera was off, I simply talked to the employees about whatever topic was on our mind. The topic came back again and again. You could see her true concern. I'd say, “Hey, what's going on?” How are you feeling? What's on your mind?' Inevitably, the topic of increasing danger to the office came up. So I asked if it would be okay if I captured their experiences and their feelings about everything, and that's how I got these interviews.

There's this ironically very funny moment where everyone's talking about the stress they're experiencing and one of the employees opens a closet full of tissue boxes, Kleenex boxes, right? For them to say, “Well, we're prepared to give you a box of Kleenex if it gets too much.” And then he opens a cabinet and there's literally, I don't know, 20 or 30 boxes of Kleenex. It's just a very poignant and funny moment.