Borat in America
Sacha Baron Cohen’s character stars in new film, forces country to
laugh at itself and makes benefit for glorious nation Kazakhstan
By Dylan Biles
Editor
The beauty of a film like Borat is that the only people in on the
joke are the main character and
the audience.
Borat is a character created by comedian/
performance artist Sacha Baron Cohen
who first appeared on HBO's “Da Ali
G Show.” The character is the star of the
show “Borat in America,” in which Borat
travels to America to inform his fellow
Kazakhstanis about the cultural differences
between their two countries.
At least that's what his unwitting victims
think.
The result is a hilarious series of unscripted
and uncomfortable moments. In
Jackass-esque fashion, the humor comes
from watching his subjects, and the audience,
squirm.
But after a while, a second layer begins
to reveal itself. The innate humor of the
Borat character begins to take a back seat
to the unabashed ignorance displayed by
many of his victims.
Borat's naiveté creates an atmosphere
where his subjects often feel free to say
things that they wouldn't otherwise admit
on camera.
For instance, while attending a rodeo,
Borat speaks with one of the riders. Borat
mentions that, in Kazakhstan, homosexuals
are burned alive and the rider tells him
that he'd like to see the same thing happen
in America.
Some of the scenes in the film are set
up and some are unscripted. The film
blurs the lines between reality and fiction
in such a way that it's sometimes difficult
to tell the difference. While Pamela Anderson
certainly had to be in on the gag,
the television talk show hosts interviewing
Borat were not.
Ultimately, the film keeps its audience
laughing. It doesn't take itself too seriously,
but it doesn't allow viewers to ignore the
fact that there are people in America who
believe things that are astounding, surprising
and sometimes a bit embarrassing.
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