You simply cannot move for high-profile elections lately. The UK’s big decision day is less than three weeks away; France called one last week in the wake of the EU election; my home country of South Africa had a particularly momentous one last month; Mexico just elected its first female president; and the US presidential face-off looms ominously ahead in the autumn. This can be easier to appreciate when you’re not emotionally invested in the outcome, but elections are irresistibly dramatic events, with all their inbuilt narratives of expectation and upset, triumph and downfall – so it’s no surprise that film-makers frequently seize on them.
