If there is a controversial figure in today's ‘merica (United States [because America is the whole continent, and there is nothing 'merica loves more than contractions for no reason]), and really since the 80s, is the Cheeto who wished to be a real boy, Donald Trump. Yet, for some reason, this movie is not committed with that, and prefers to present only the most boring aspect in a very superficial way.
The movie starts with a young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan, now with two arms), who meet the lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), an amoral citizen that believes in winning to all cost. Trump becames Cohn's protegee, marries the model Ivana (Maria Bakalova) and creates a real state empire built on debt and tax evasion.
While redacting this sinopsis I found what was the most hurtful for the movie. It is just an anecdote. There is no clear conflict, no main objective, not even a general theme that unifies everything. The movie just presents the events in the eggplant with with carotene (pigment that makes plants orange) excess' life, but does not make them a narrative, they are mostly isolated moments.
The characters work is done so well its hypnotic to see them interact. Stan is just very fun almost parodying the way Trump walks, how he "fixes" his lack of hair and constantly positions his lips on a kissing position that is just so weirdly accurate. Roy Cohn has a dancing head that is almost desperating, but has a lot of presece on the screen and his cinic attitude makes him an engaging son of a b*tch. And Bakalova is just a very promising and talented actress, who here does a beutiful job and shines on her scenes.
The aesthetic also serves the movie amazingly. The use of handheld camera always filmed from street level or floor level generate this documentarish sensation. The more square aspect ratio and the image full of grain, more even on darker scenes, mixed with some TV interviews transmit a sensation of it being shot on the 70s and 80s with limited resources in a voyerist and guerrilla sort of way. To complete this, there is also a naturalist production design, makeup and clothes; just some green screens are quite evident, but it kind of helps to give some sense of fakeness, that can be interpreted as a methaphor for the lies that built this mutant orange's "identity" and "fortune". The montage is very dynamic and keeps the movie entertaining, and the tone and events pass with a fast pacing rythm that not allow you to get bored.
Also, the portrail of this human size orange crayon is just on point. Most of the time is just pathetic, coward, not very good in what he is doing, dependent and ignorant to laughable levels; when he asks if AIDs could be transmitted by touch is just ridicoulosly amuzing and terrifyingly real. But, at the same time, he is also an abusive, gross, cinic, with an inferiority complex and manipulator that gives you chills. The mere idea of this character havig power is scary enough to make you find on laughter and satire the only possible and logical false escape.
Sadly, all of this ended tumbled by its lack of committed with satire and conclusion of narrative lines, because of what feels like fear to repercussions that being truly disrruptive could bring. The movie just expose things, facts, but at the moment of ridiculing them or simply create drama the film is very mediocre. It even kind of finishes on a high note, with the only human being that reflecy lighwaves with lenghth of 585 - 620 mm being a megalomaniac in top of the world, yes corrupted and completely shameless, but as some sort winner. The movie never touches or mentions that he was president, shows the abusses he committed more than in characters words, neglects all the controversy surrounding this tantrum making carrot and not even closes all the ideas and narrative threats it presents. What the f*ck happened with Ivanna?! Why the movie just decide to ignore the only real emotional anchor?
It is a fine picture. Funny, with a great aesthetic and interpretative idea behind, and a story about one of the most controversial and still dangerous figures of today. But, it is more interesting in presenting facts that forgots that, before being a dramatized report, it is supposed to be a movie that should have drama, narrative and must commit to itself. I do not blame anyone for being scared of being completely incisive against a 80-years-old baby with the possibility to gain control of nuclear weapons again, I would be too, but that was exactly what this movie needed to be absolutely amazing and disruptive.
Even though, I hope eventually movies and media could go back to being completely free to attack those in power positions. Lets make satire great again!
Quim Zunino
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