Punishment

In 1970, the Vietnam War continues to escalate, prompting President Richard Nixon to announce a secret bombing campaign in Cambodia. This decision intensifies unrest and opposition within the United States, especially among anti-war activists. The government responds with measures to control dissent through emergency powers, including detention policies.

President Nixon decrees a state of emergency based on the McCarran Internal Security Act of 1950. This law grants federal authorities the power to detain individuals deemed a threat to internal security. It marks a significant escalation in government actions against dissenters amid growing protests.

Members of various social movements, including anti-war activists, civil rights advocates, feminists, conscientious objectors, and Communist Party members, are arrested. They face detention hearings and are classified as risks to national security by community tribunals. The arrests symbolize the government’s crackdown on opposition.

Due to overcrowded jails, some detainees are offered an alternative: serve their full sentences in federal prison or participate in the Punishment Park challenge. This 53-mile desert trek in California is designed as a brutal form of field training, with the promise of freedom for those who complete it successfully.

Group 637 begins their three-day ordeal in Punishment Park, learning the rules of the game. Simultaneously, the civilian tribunal starts hearings on Group 638, representing different perspectives on resistance and dissent. Both sides prepare for their respective battles, amidst mounting tensions.

European filmmakers follow the two groups and document their experiences. They interview participants, capture the hostility between detainees and chasers, and record the tribunal proceedings. The footage emphasizes the escalating conflict and polarization surrounding the trial.

As the challenge continues, Group 637 splits into two factions: one refuses to accept the rules and resorts to violence, while the other maintains pacifist resistance. The violent faction is eventually killed, illustrating the lethal consequences of defiance and chaos within the game.

The pacifist members of Group 637 progress towards the American flag at the end of the desert course, symbolizing their resistance's hope for eventual freedom. However, they encounter an ambush by police, revealing the dangerous and unpredictable nature of the trial.

Upon reaching the flag, pacifists are mercilessly beaten by law enforcement, demonstrating that resistance within Punishment Park is futile. The authorities have effectively rendered the challenge unwinnable, serving as a metaphor for the broader suppression of dissent.

The film reveals that there is no true way to win the Punishment Park challenge, symbolizing the oppressive nature of the government and the impossibility of resistance within such a system. Both the violence and pacifist resistance end in defeat, underscoring the film's critique of authority.