Telluride: Don’t Bet Against Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong’s Oscar Prospects for Trump Origin Story ‘The Apprentice’

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of immersion in the cinematic universe, I must admit that my anticipation for “The Apprentice” was as high as the towers Trump built himself. The hype surrounding this film has been palpable, and the buzz at Telluride Film Festival’s Galaxy Theatre was electric.

The much-anticipated film chronicling Donald Trump’s early days, commonly referred to as The Apprentice, made its North American debut at the Galaxy Theatre in Telluride Film Festival last Saturday evening. This domestic showing follows three months after its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival, and is set for theater release on October 11, amidst a flurry of legal challenges from Trump’s campaign team. Briarcliff Entertainment recently secured the U.S. distribution rights for the film.

The buzz for the film has been incredibly high among those who initially missed it at Cannes, leading to a packed 500-person crowd at Telluride’s late-night Saturday screening. Despite some mixed reactions following the screening, the film has left an undeniable impression on many viewers. With its powerful performances, particularly Sebastian Stan as young Trump and Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn, this movie should not be overlooked in the awards race.

The movie titled “The Apprentice” was penned by Gabriel Sherman, who has long chronicled Donald Trump for Vanity Fair, and directed by Ali Abbasi, known for his films such as “Border” and “Holy Spider“, in his first English-language directorial endeavor. The narrative spans from 1973 when Trump, a 27-year-old businessman from New York, met power lawyer Cohn, to 1986, shortly following Cohn’s death (circumstances of which you should avoid searching online if you are unaware), and just before the release of “The Art of the Deal“, a book that significantly boosted Trump’s fame from an arrogant businessman to a well-known celebrity.

Supporters of Donald Trump have been suspicious that the movie would be a biased attack from Hollywood. This suspicion arises largely due to reports about a brief scene where Trump is depicted inappropriately with his first wife, Ivanka (Maria Bakalova, who was nominated for an Oscar in Borat), a scene that is based on accusations made by Ivanka herself but later retracted under pressure. However, it’s important to note that The Apprentice, which clearly states in its opening that some elements of the story are fictionalized but most are based on real events, is not a satirical depiction of Trump as many critics may assume. In fact, for Trump opponents, the portrayal in this movie might be overly sympathetic.

This work isn’t a flattering portrayal nor an unfair critique, but rather, as Iranian-born Dane Abbasi described before the screening, it serves as a reflection from an outsider’s perspective to challenge American society and encourage a fresh look. It depicts the man who would become president as a young, attractive, charismatic, and ambitious businessman, yet also someone who was emotionally scarred by his father, manipulated by Cohn, leading him down a destructive path, causing him to become arrogant, self-centered, and occasionally cruel at times.

Stan convincingly imitates Trump’s appearance, behavior, and unique speaking style – a task that likely presented challenges due to the numerous other impressions of Trump that exist. Meanwhile, Strong effectively portrays Cohn’s cold stare and the physical demeanor reminiscent of a coiled snake, which can be traced back to his time as an accomplice to McCarthy during his early years.

It’s not necessary to admire a character or a movie to recognize an actor’s courage and talent. In fact, the Academy’s actors branch has recognized many outstanding performances of controversial characters in questionable films in recent years. Characters like Megyn Kelly, Richard Nixon, Tammy Faye Bakker, George W. Bush, Lynne Cheney, Dick Cheney, and J.D. Vance’s grandmother are not exactly beloved by the Hollywood community, but they have still been honored for their performances.

Briarcliff, the distributor of ‘The Apprentice’, may be a fresh face in the industry, but its leader, Tom Ortenberg, is no stranger to winning awards. With his past experiences overseeing the award campaigns for movies like ‘Crash’ at Lionsgate and ‘Spotlight’ at Open Road – both of which took home the Best Picture Oscar – he has a proven track record in this field. Furthermore, he’s already enlisted several skilled awards consultants to aid in promoting ‘The Apprentice’. The talent involved with the film is also actively supporting it at Telluride. Just as one wouldn’t dismiss Donald Trump’s chances for 2024, I believe it would be premature to write off ‘The Apprentice’ as a contender.

2024-09-01 19:24

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