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Chronicling the plight of the proletariat makes for compelling politics, but not always compelling movies. Luckily, this year’s DC Labor FilmFest at the AFI Silver Theatre packs some entertainment into its pro-labor message, offering viewers a respite from the looming double-dip recession and the rapid decline of collective bargaining rights. The week-long festival mixes sober classics (All the President’s Men) with more topical fare (Up in the Air, Inside Job). Duncan Jones’ overlooked 2009 sci-fi thriller Moon is an unconventional choice, but could be a prescient foretelling of 22nd-century labor struggles. In the film, which shows Saturday and Sunday, space technician Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) embarks on a doomed lunar mission—an assignment that no self-respecting union representative would authorize. Moon’s chilling conclusion presents a bleak vision of the final frontier: In space, no one is guaranteed workers’ compensation.
The DC Labor FilmFest runs through Tuesday at the AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. $11. Discounted admission with union card.