I enjoyed the new Borat film (a.k.a. Subsequent Moviefilm) but was definitely anxious watching it the firs time around. It arrived, provocatively, in the waning days of Election 2020 when it seemed like anything could have an impact on the results. The film did provide a lot of fodder for Giuliani haters, as it unmistakably features the disgraced former NYC readying himself for what he thinks is going to be a sexual encounter with a reporter.
But, had Trump won, I was fully prepared for the film to be cited as yet another source of backlash -- liberal Hollywood offending Trump's base and inspiring them to turnout. It would have been silly, but in this world where everyone is a pundit and Trump's resilience does sometimes feel inexplicable, there would inevitably be a lot of finger pointing should he had won a second term.
Turns out there's a lot of finger pointing anyway -- although I think even cynical Democrats are starting to allow themselves to feel real joy about Biden's win now that the international community and at least SOME figures in the GOP establishment (not to mention Fox News!) is acknowledging the reality that he clearly has won this race.
After celebrating the results this weekend, I myself suddenly felt the urge to revisit this buzzy film. It reminded me of the first time I saw Zoolander in college. I scoffed at some of the lowbrow humor, largely dismissed the film, only to find myself quoting it and recounting scenes from it long after.
Like most sequels, Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm doesn't quite reach the heights of its predecessor, but it is not without its charms. It's a sneakily sentimental film and its ace in the hole is newcomer Maria Bakalova as Borat's daughter. There is some longshot speculation that she could be consider for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar (a rarity for a comedy performance) for her committed performance here and I am totally here for it. She's both funny, luminous, touching and triumphant in this movie and its speaks volumes about Sacha Baron Cohen's character that he appears all too happy to cede the spotlight to her.
Is the film's plot threadbare -- sure -- and the attempts to string stunts and a narrative together are at times forced and clumsy, but this is one of those movies where some of the jokes you may have missed or not fully appreciated the first time around (many of them are subtitled) can be fully enjoyed on the second viewing.
This by no means takes the sting away from some of the film's darker passages, such as: A crowd of far right protesters cheering the notion of slaughtering journalists or some Q'anon enthusiasts suggesting with a straight face that Hillary Clinton consumes children's blood for energy.
"It's been said," one of them says in defense of this madness.
Still, there's something so cathartic about being able to laugh at these people on some level without the terror that they could potential control the levers of power for four more years. It is not an exaggeration to say that an unhinged, re-elected Trump almost certainly pursue his long-stated goal to censor any media that displeases him, and without any guardrails -- why wouldn't he.
We came this close to a dictatorship in this country. Perhaps it will take time for a lot of Americans to fully recognize that, although Trump's both utterly predictable and yet still horrifying decision to make delegitimizing his election defeat the cause of his remaining days in office should illustrate just how much contempt he has always had for democracy.
And yet, the charming, subversive finale to the film suggests a day when we might able to look back on this period and laugh, or at least feel a sense of relief.
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