Hey guys!
For the text review assignment I wanted to take a look at the movie Borat from 2006. This movie is a kind of raunchy comedy, but I think it relates back to this class with some of the ideals portrayed. The movie is about a reporter, Borat, from Khazikstan, a fictional country, and follows his journey to the U.S. During this movie there is a lot of irony in his interactions with people, and also kind of a criticism of the United States as well. The character Borat interacts with many politicians and political figures in the U.S, and the results of these interactions are satirical. These politicians reveal their beliefs and ideals in these scenes, so it is ultimately criticizing the U.S for injustices such as racism and sexism. This movie also displays injustice with the way that Borat treats and interacts with women. He speaks about the women in his village like incest and rape are okay, and actually even celebrated in this place of Khazikstan. This relates back to our class in many ways but I think the most would be the concept of “othering”, and also how we talked in week 10 with migration. As far as the week of migration, it relates back to the movie because Borat was treated very differently than any other American would be walking on the street, but if you watch the movie it is understandable because of the way he acts. However, these scenes still depict the mistreatment of migrants. Boratrelates to the concept of “othering” in many ways as well. Since he went to America to make this documentary, Borat is treated as the “other” by his own people in Khazikstan due to the fact that they all hate America. Furthermore, he is also “othered” by just about every person he interacts with in America due to his actions. In the ways he speaks it is very offensive to the person receiving the comments. Overall this is not a typical movie to be talked about in a college humanities class, but if you look at the messages depicted in the movie it can be related back easily. Would definitely recommend watching!
Hey Zach,
I am a huge fan of this movie and Sacha Baron Cohen in general so I really enjoyed reading about your text review. I had only ever watched the movie through a comedic lens, so I never really took the time to think about the movie. I believe Cohen played a very exaggerated immigrant man to truly highlight people’s true nature while also offering comedy through it.
Great review of “Borat”! You’ve highlighted some important aspects of the film, especially how it uses satire to critique societal issues like racism and sexism. The irony in Borat’s interactions really does a fantastic job of revealing the underlying beliefs of the people he encounters. I also appreciate how you connected it to our class discussions on “othering” and migration since those themes are super relevant and make the film more than just a raunchy comedy. I am working on similar project and recommend to review this page https://papersbattle.com/paperial-reviews/ and consider getting help online. It’s interesting to see how Borat navigates both his own cultural identity and the perceptions of those around him in the U.S. This film definitely pushes boundaries and invites viewers to reflect on their own biases. I’ll be sure to check it out again with your insights in mind! Thanks for sharing!