THE BRINK: Gripping Documentary Reaffirms Your Thoughts On Steve Bannon
“Do not believe the opposition. Do not believe the fake news media. Do not let them steal your seat.” These quotes sound like realistic candidates for the Ten Alt-Right Commandments, don’t they? And who else could possibly be writing this new political scripture besides Steve Bannon, one of the primary faces of the alt-right. In Alison Klayman’s tensely absorbing new documentary, The Brink, the ex-Trump aide is on an international quest to convert as many people as possible to the populist cause after resigning from the White House.
“The West Wing has bad karma”
Errol Morris sat down with Bannon and conducted an extensive interview for the yet-unreleased American Dharma. Klayman takes a considerably more hands-off approach and observes as a fly-on-the-wall, with Bannon allowing her to be fully privy to 90% of the private meetings that take place during filming, including with former UKIP leader Nigel Farage, National Rally member Jérôme Rivière and other right-wing headmen across Europe.
Depending on your political leanings, it’s either going to be encouraging or soul-crushing to see a Europe largely sympathetic to his goal, as far-right leaders gain substantial support from the public. Klayman questions Rivière why he feels his group needs assistance from the man who Time deemed ‘The Great Manipulator’. Rivière responds, “He’s quite discreet in the way he helps.”
“If I had not come on as the CEO of the campaign, Trump would not have won”
There’s a kinship between Bannon and these like-minded politicians who he says all want to promote economic nationalism, which appears to be his biggest deal. Just don’t mention the first part of that sentence to him, though – he has few friends in politics, and he tells the camera that he has “never been” friends with Trump despite what we may have assumed, at least for the time prior to being dubbed “Sloppy Steve” by the man he helped elect.
Though her documentary is largely observational, there are a few times where the filmmaker probes him for further explanations. He blames the Democrats for using outrage and identity politics in their campaigns but Klayman swiftly points out that he’s doing the same thing to stimulate interest in his movement. His telling response is, “…and your point?”
“She has the right to freedom of speech – outside!”
Obviously the director can’t wrestle too much with her subject if she wants to maintain the exceptional access into his life, but moments like the one mentioned above hint at a greater movie where she challenges him more, especially considering Errol Morris supposedly strayed from such territory altogether. Mostly sticking to her skillset in observation, the filmmaker leaves the journalists on Bannon’s press circuit such as The Guardian’s Paul Lewis and Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid to confront him with the tough questions on ideology, rhetoric and the related consequences.
He revels in the verbal sparring, and, off-air, shows an appreciation for the toughness Reid displayed when challenging him on the problem of racism. Moments like these show a surprising lack of stubbornness and some self-awareness, though the latter is brought into question when he professes to Lewis that his film Trump @ War is propaganda because, accordingly, propaganda is a good thing. The very real possibility that certain viewers won’t see through Bannon’s tricky methods baffles me, but that’s how he became “the great manipulator.”
There are more open secrets he shares, like telling us that the Democrats have a blind spot in their communications by not utilising radio talk shows. Skillfully, Klayman cross-cuts between Bannon on radio, speaking on the opposition working to destroy Roy Moore for thousands of nationwide listeners tuned in, with footage of the street protests against the Alabama senate candidate, effectively highlighting Bannon’s point at how the arguments on both sides are being relayed to their target audience.
The Brink: Conclusion
You’re unlikely to shift your perception on Steve Bannon after seeing The Brink. Klayman’s only promise is to offer you a peek behind the curtain and, should you be curious, you’ll be rewarded with a well-constructed documentary that offers a lucid view of how the Breitbart founder thinks and operates. As with her previous film Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, Klayman‘s amazing access-driven filmmaking proves to be ideal for capturing a controversial individual in situ with few attempts at provoking him for more, for better or worse.
How this profile will add or detract value to the populist movement remains to be seen, as Bannon continues his journey despite being dealt a major blow when the Democrats won control of the House last year. It’s possible that little good can come out for the alt-right figurehead as he welcomes us to his world and gives us the key to his strategy, which show him to be prone to shattered alliances as much as they evidence some success. On the other hand, this bit of exposure may be just what he needs.
Which current or former members of the Trump administration do you think should be subject to a documentary?
The Brink will open in select US cities on the 29th March 2019 with an expansion to follow. To view all screening dates and locations, click here.
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