France’s Cannes — A film that tells the narrative of Donald Trump’s beginnings and paints a harsh picture of the former president in the 1980s debuted at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday, concurrent with the start of the sixth week of the Republican nominee’s hush money trial in New York.
Sebastian Stan plays Donald in the Iranian-Danish film “The Apprentice,” which was directed by Ali Abbasi. The primary bond in the film is that between Donald and Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), the defense lawyer who served as lead counsel for Joseph McCarthy during the Senate hearings in the 1950s.
‘The Apprentice,’ About A Young Donald Trump, Premieres In Cannes
According to the narrative, Cohn has been Donald’s longtime mentor, teaching him the cruelty of New York City politics and commerce. Cohn initially supported the Trump Organization during a federal government lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in housing.
“The Apprentice,” a show that claims to be based on actual events, presents Donald’s interactions with Cohn as a sort of Faustian bargain that aided in his ascent to prominence in both business and politics. Stan’s Trump is a more innocent real estate aspirant at first, but Cohn’s schooling quickly changes him.
One sequence in the movie that is particularly noteworthy shows Donald raping his wife, Ivana Trump (played by Maria Bakalova). Ivana Trump claimed that Donald had sexually assaulted her in her 1990 divorce deposition. Ivana Trump later clarified that she didn’t mean it literally but rather that she had felt violated after Trump refuted the accusation.
‘The Apprentice,’ About A Young Donald Trump, Premieres In Cannes
Amidst the US presidential race, “The Apprentice” is a potentially explosive big-screen drama thanks to this and other scenes. There has yet to be a release date for the movie because it is being sold at Cannes.
Variety reported the alleged behind-the-scenes conflict surrounding “The Apprentice” on Monday. The trade magazine said, citing unnamed sources, that billionaire Dan Snyder—a former Washington Commanders owner and “The Apprentice” investor—had pressured the film’s directors to change how Donald is portrayed. Snyder has contributed to Donald’s presidential campaign in the past.
Snyder and the movie’s representatives could not be reached for comment immediately.
Abbasi, whose last film “Holy Spider” portrayed a female journalist pursuing a serial killer in Iran, stated in the movie’s press notes that he wasn’t trying to make “a History Channel episode.”
Abbasi declared, “This is not a biopic of Donald Trump.” “Every aspect of his life from point A to point Z is not interesting. We hope to present a specific story through their friendship and Roy’s relationship with him.
‘The Apprentice,’ About A Young Donald Trump, Premieres In Cannes
No matter how it affects politics, “The Apprentice” will probably be discussed a lot as a possible Oscar contender. The film, which has a grungy ’80s look, follows Strong back to a wealthy and powerful New York one year after HBO’s “Succession” ended. Strong, who plays “An Enemy of the People” on Broadway, was absent for the Cannes premiere on Monday.
“The Apprentice” is a competitor at Cannes, where it can vie for the Palme d’Or, the festival’s highest honor. The day following a film’s world premiere at Cannes, actors and directors hold press conferences. Tuesday is the press conference for “The Apprentice.”
SOURCE – (AP)
