"The Dictator" with Sasha Baron Cohen (2012)

This is the first film I have seen by Sacha Cohen. I wasn’t really interested in the Borat films he has released in the past, but this one seemed more along the lines of “An American Carol”, so I figured I would give it a shot. I’m glad I did.

It is also a  reeling, fast paced film which explores, in a comedic fashion, the actual events which take place each day and drive the insanity of world politics. Sadly; though the film is hysterically funny; much of it is not too far-fetched. Watching this film, with the Iraq War still fresh in our minds, helps call attention to the strange and haphazard way in which our leaders sometimes deal with world politics.

The plot is simple; it concerns a Mid-Eastern dictator from the fictional country of Wadiyah named Aladeen, played by Sacha Cohen. He has been threatening the world with a nuclear weapon which may, or my not exist. When he is summoned to New York for a conference at the United Nations, things don’t go as planned. His second in command, Tamir, played by Ben Kingsley in a delightful departure from his more “serious” roles, secretly wants Aladeen gone, and helps to engineer the plot that finds the great dictator beardless and without any means of support in the greatest city in the world. 

Because of his opposition to a peace treaty he is marked for death by one side, and also sought by his own military. In addition he has all of the many enemies he has created during his years in power in Wadiyah to worry about.

Adopting the name Efawadh, he finds himself in Brooklyn with a pretty young American woman who has no idea who he is. She owns an organic food store and is very independent, which is something Aladeen is not used to. But there is something about her that makes him want to understand more about life.

Soon he discovers that the neighborhood he is living in is inhabited by all of the people he has formerly ordered executed. It seems that his trusted guards were not carrying out those executions, which were not justified in the first place, and sending the condemned to settle in Brooklyn. He begins to recognize them, as they do him. Clearly, the great Aladeen is in a bind.

When the time for the vote comes at the United Nations, a “double” has been prepared to take his place and sign an historic peace treaty with the world. If Aladeen can get into the General Assembly and denounce the impostor, then he will be the feared dictator again, with the whole world groveling at his feet. Finding the impostor and taking his place is no challenge, and he mounts the podium to nullify the treaty.

As he begins to declare all that is wrong with democracy, the girl from Brooklyn manages to arrive at the General Assembly. Upon seeing her, he begins to glorify all of the things that he finds so imperfect about democracy, realizing that only the imperfections of true freedom could have created a woman as wonderful as the one he has found.

Directed by Larry Charles, and written by Sacha Cohen and Alec Berg, this film is a wonderful satire about the fools and clowns who run our planet. It’s also about the humanity that they may not realize exists in us all; perhaps even them-selves. This is a very funny, and true to life film.

"The Whistleblower" with Rachel Weisz,David Strathairn, and Vanessa Redgrave (2011)

This is a very difficult film to watch. That difficulty is not due to anything on the part of the filmmaker, nor is it the fault of any of the actors in this searing look at the underbelly of the United Nations in the aftermath of the tragedy of the War in Bosnia. The discomfort comes, instead, from having to acknowledge the reality of "man's inhumanity to man." In this case, that inhumanity takes the form of "sex trafficking", and the inability, and in some cases unwillingness, to do anything to stop it.

When we send United Nations forces to the most troubled spots on Earth; places like the Sudan, Beirut, etc., we all seem to slip into what I call "the comfort zone." In other words, the problem is being handled. But that isn't always the case, as this film so scathingly points out.

When local Police Officer Kathryn Bolkovac, played with real grit by Rachel Weisz, leaves her ex-husband and daughters behind in Nebraska, she thinks she is going to be helping to rebuild a war torn country which is teeming with religious strife. She is eager to help restore the country. She is also very happy to accept the $100,000 paycheck that goes along with the 6 month assignment. But almost immediately upon arrival in Bosnia, she is appalled at the level of apathy she encounters at every turn as she tries to make a difference.

When she stumbles upon a "sex-trafficking" ring, and attempts to help the victims, she is reminded that her status "in country" prohibits her from making any real difference. She is merely an "observer". As she delves deeper into the truth, getting closer and closer to the real story of what happens to these victims, she places herself in some very real danger.

Her colleagues; some of whom are involved with the women, as well as the trafficking; and her bosses, all distance themselves from her, knowing that to try and make any difference is both futile, and dangerous. As for the victims she is trying to help, they are so terrified that they are reluctant to make any statements, or file any charges, realizing that to do so would mean certain death.

The real tragedy of this film is that it is based on true events. Doubling that tragedy is the fact that the business of "sex-trafficking" goes on, unabated, almost 20 years after the events in Bosnia. With special features, including a short biopic on the real life Kathy Bolkovac, this film will leave you somewhat worried over the "human condition" in the 21st century. With so much knowledge, and a dearth of technology, one has to ask how, and why, these crimes still continue today.

Absolutely flawless direction by Larysa Kondracki makes this a tightly wound film, which will have you riveted, from the opening scene until the last credits roll. In between, you will be wondering about how the world seems to remain so indifferent to this subject. And when it is over, you will be saddened, as you realize that no one seems to care.