Representative democracy is under strain, and this film asks a panel of political thinkers whether it can hold. Fareed Zakaria opens the diagnosis: politicians answering to a 24-hour news cycle and a fickle electorate cannot govern with any consistency. Political scientist John Keane offers a counterpoint, describing the present as a 'monitory democracy,' where citizens increasingly check power through watchdog groups, courts, and media scrutiny rather than the ballot box alone. Hilary Wainwright, William Dobson, and Cheng Li add further angles, from grassroots political organizing to the comparative pressures facing democratic and authoritarian systems alike. The film moves between these voices rather than settling on one, weighing whether the erosion of political parties and rising public distrust can be fixed within the existing system or whether they signal something more structural. Director Chris Kijne keeps the format simple: extended interviews carrying the argument, with little else competing for attention. Produced for VPRO's Backlight series, it ends without a fixed answer, leaving the question of democracy's next form open.