Like father, like daughter

As far as shock value comedy goes, the arrival of Borat in 2006 is hard to beat. Sacha Baron Cohen’s larger-than-life, jew-fearing persona had his unwitting guests stammering and uncomfortable, while his sayings – ‘wa wa wee wa’ - can still be heard in college dorms across the world. There may have been doubts about whether this out-of-the-blue sequel from Amazon Studios could retain the same element of surprise, but Borat Subsequent Moviefilm skimps on none of the outrageous comedy of the original, adapting to a changed and crazy world - new presidents, new viruses - in hilarious and yes, shocking, ways.

After his documentary-making exploits in the first film lead to national humiliation for Kazakhstan, Borat finds himself imprisoned for his crimes against his home country. Yet, when new president Donald Trump steps in, and Kazakhstan is presented with an opportunity to win favour with the United States, Borat is sent on a mission for his own survival - present his own daughter Tutar (Maria Bakalova) as a gift to ‘Vice Pussy Grabber’ Mike Pence, or be ‘execute’.

Borat needed a good excuse to return for a sequel, and luckily 2020 has been a year just waiting to be satirised. Like with the quest to marry Pamela Anderson, the plot here doesn’t make much sense, but Cohen and director Jason Woliner use it as a tool with which to expose alarming social attitudes in the US. As Borat ventures through the south – cleverly using disguises to elude discovery from fans of the movie - there are genuinely jaw dropping scenes with a pastor who takes his support of pro-life to extreme lengths, and a store owner who does his best to help Borat get the right materials needed to ‘gas gypsies’.

As before, much of the humour here comes from the awkward reactions of Borat’s targets, though you would hope that Cohen and regular collaborator Anthony Hines would’ve taken more risks with their material – a final act about the ‘coronavirus hoax’ ends up feeling slightly toothless. That being said, the film has a huge trump card in the form of Bakalova as Borat’s socially repressed daughter. Stepping in as Cohen’s new foil (the gruesome fate of Borat’s previous assistant Azamat is revealed early on), Bakalova is just as committed to the cause, willingly plunging herself into absurd stunts – a period-stained dance father-daughter dance, and an encounter with a certain former mayor – that somehow top the audacity of those in the first film. As Borat’s relationship with his daughter forces him to confront his outdated views on female rights – maybe they don’t belong in cages? – the resulting ending is both silly and weirdly sweet, with the most genius cameo of the year yet.

A Borat sequel purely for fans of the original, this delivers more of the same, boosted by a father-daughter subplot that provides some of the most uncomfortably funny moments yet. For the most part, it’s very nice!

★★★★

Sinister linings playbook

In the brilliant Whiplash, a young drumming prodigy works so hard to perfect his craft that he ends up bleeding onto his drum set. Yet, that pales in comparison to the sacrifices made by a budding pianist in Nocturne, who literally makes a deal with the devil in return for fame and adoration. There’s no prizes for guessing how that goes, but this brisk and entertaining thriller will keep you grimly fascinated till the end.

The latest offering from Amazon Studios and Blumhouse, this follows Juliet (Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney), a withdrawn high-schooler who aspires to be a successful pianist, but seems destined to live in the shadow (resentfully turning the piano sheets) of her more gifted twin sister Vivian (Madison Iseman). When the top-rated pianist at her school mysteriously commits suicide, Juliet is presented with a chance at the spotlight when she stumbles upon the former student’s notebook. One ill-advised incantation later, and things creepily start turning in her favour…

From first-time writer-director Zu Quirke, this is not a film aiming to reinvent the genre wheel as such. As is slightly common in movies about demonic bargains, it’s initially difficult to believe that Juliet can ignore so many warning signs – when has reading from a book covered in demonic symbols ever ended well? From here, as Juliet’s fortune improves – but at what cost? – it follows a fairly predictable course, with a demonic prophesy that feels slightly spoon-fed to the audience.

There may not be much new here, but Quirke makes the most of the tools at his disposal, with a level of restraint and control that feels uncommon in the genre. Displaying a clear conviction in his subject matter, Quirke makes clever use of lighting and an off-kilter score to place you in the deteriorating mind space of Juliet, helping you understand her dark decisions. It’s also sold by a driven performance from Sweeney, who shows enough desperation and overlooked fury (at times reminiscent of that scene in Carrie) to convince you that selling her soul might have been an attractive option. Spoiler – it isn’t.

With assured work from Quirke and Sweeney, this is a lean and effective thriller with a hell of a curtain call.

★★★

I just finished binging the Marvelous Mrs Maisel and totally fell in love with it, especially the fashion! Can’t wait for season 2!

The National Board of Review has named The Salesman as the Best Foreign Language Film of 2016. The Organization’s Annual Gala will be held on Wednesday, January 4, 2017 with NBC’s Willie Geist set to return as host.

For more info about the National Board of Review winners: Click Here

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