Trump’s Fury: The One Movie That Sparked a Presidential Outrage and a Desperate Call for Censorship
“The Apprentice” has been surrounded by a small storm of controversy since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, with former President Trump’s lawyer sending a letter to stop the screening and Trump himself attacking the film on social media, calling it “disgusting.” and despicable political acts.”
As a result, the film’s release in the United States was delayed due to a lack of distributors willing to back it, although this delay worked to its advantage, as its commercial release began a few weeks before the American presidential election, as if it were one of the most famous presidential candidates in US history. A final reminder to voters, “The Donald.”
The film, directed by Danish-Iranian Ali Abbasi, stars Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong and Maria Bakalova and is in contention for the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
problematic painting
The film “The Apprentice” paints a picture of the life of Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) in the 1970s and 1980s, that is, the younger version representing the seeds of the current controversial figure, his earlier political interests when he worked in real estate investment and his dream of rebuilding New York City. The latter has transformed its most important areas from extremely dirty streets to luxurious buildings, even as the city’s inhabitants become poorer and lack social and health care.
The film opens after the Trump family’s company stands before the judiciary when it is accused of racial discrimination against tenants of color, and they are saved by none other than lawyer Roy Cohen (Jeremy Strong), another controversial figure in modern American history. Author of one of the largest campaigns against left-wing ideologues due to his complicated relationship with former President Nixon and controversial political figures such as Sen. McCarthy, a campaign that claimed the lives of hundreds of people who lost their jobs and social status, including actor Charlie Chaplin, who was expelled from the United States by McCarthy.
Roy not only played the role of a lawyer for Trump who protected his interests, but also played the role of a legal father, teaching him the lessons that helped transform him into the version of him the world witnesses today, and he nurtured him with those values. Common at this time were those that distinguished between winners and losers, which could not be considered ethical, relied on a view of superiority, and sought out opponents’ weaknesses in dishonest ways in order to blackmail them in the future.
Roy’s relationship with Trump draws a fundamental line in the formation of the former president’s character. Although this image is integrated with his other relationships, especially with his family, especially his violent and racist father who does not respect his children. The eldest son works as a pilot, while Donald Trump, who is perceived as weak and needs to learn a lot to succeed in the job market, is publicly despised even at the height of his success. Some may believe that this mistreatment will bring Donald closer to his brother Freddy, as they are both victims of an abusive father, but young Donald shows no interest in helping his brother, instead abandoning him until he dies under mysterious circumstances. A psychological disorder, linked to alcoholism and lack of family support – according to the film.
On the other hand, the film focuses on Donald’s relationship with his first wife Ivana (Maria Bakalova), an aspiring model whom he pursues for a long time until she agrees to marry him. As the years passed, he grew bored with her and grew jealous of her professional success, prompting him to harm her emotionally and physically.
“The Apprentice” movie paints a picture of Donald Trump’s life (Reuters)
Historical drama with best acting
The film placed its characters against the backdrop of an elaborate cinematic image that imitated the seventies and eighties, in terms of lighting and photography, or clothing and makeup, which apparently played a role in imitating the past.
“The Apprentice” can be considered a character-driven movie, as it develops Trump’s character from a young man with ambition but no real tools to reach it, to a man who surpasses and even insults his teacher, Roy Cohen. , neglected. her advice, and banishes him from her life.
The film divides these two decades of Trump’s life into 3 phases: the first is the young man finding his place in the world, then the powerful man who manages to bend city politics to get a tax break, defeating his father’s low expectations. Cuts him, and Roy Cohen out of his life, and the third man who… He reaches his biggest financial success, but his appetite still needs more, so he enters the process of transforming his body into a better version, surgically removing his Gets rid of weight, grows his receding hair and hires a famous writer to present his biography in a book that shines from his image, and at this stage politics comes to mind as a new step towards narcissism and a sense of self-aggrandizement.
Character-driven films rely on two fundamentals: the first is the composition and development of the characters, and the second is the acting performances that highlight these characters, and the acting in “The Apprentice” is one of its most prominent positive aspects. , with a performance that is the best from Sebastian Stan in his entire career, and he is famous for previously playing Bucky in Marvel films, and he is certainly a less complicated character than the young Donald Trump, when he is supported by Jeremy Strong, the actor who in a few years Kendall topped a long list of well-deserved awards for his portrayal of Roy in the series “Legacy,” and here he portrays the role of Roy Cohen in two episodes, first at the height of his powers when he played a mentor and teacher to Trump, then on the side when As this power collapses as a result of change and its diminishing influence, he becomes seriously ill. On the other hand, which follows Jeremy Strong’s performance step by step in a very smooth and powerful manner is a serious conflict.
Of course, the movie “The Apprentice” gained special momentum with its release during the presidential election, but apart from that, it is one of the most important films of 2024, with two of the best performances of the year and a unique story. which is displayable on the screen.