BORAT : DOCUMENTARY OR MOCKUMENTARY ?

            "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"(2006), is a highly controversial movie and has been since its release in 2006. The movie has been defined as a comedy, documentary, even mockumentary. Whatever category you put it in, there's no doubt that people hail it as a comedic treasure. I do agree that it's a funny movie with hilarious interactions with unsuspecting citizens (much like the TV show candid camera) however; I also believe that what is revealed throughout the movie is also quite tragic. The things that Sacha Baron Cohen gets these social actors to reveal about themselves are often hard to watch. From the homophobic general manager of the "Imperial Rodeo" to the southern college kids who have no respect for women, Sacha reveals truths about the American public that while unacceptable to some, are truths that need to be revealed if we are to understand the true nature of Americans.  These revelations are why this movie is positively a documentary and is thus worthy of the documentary title.

           
              Mockumentary , I believe, is not the right word to use when describing Borat. One of my favorite mockumentarys "Spinal Tap"(1984) can be used to distance Borat from the "mocumentary tradition". Spinal Tap (which embodies all that is mocumentary) is a fully scripted movie that contains no social actors. The band, management and fans are all scripted actors who know they are involved in a work of fiction. It's a work of complete fiction only presented to the viewer in the form of a documentary. If for instance, the audience was completely made up of social actors, their reactions to a completely fabricated band would be a useful examination of the public's ability to identify a performance as not genuine. This “hypothetical Spinal Tap" would represent an actual documentary. It is in this sense I believe that Borat holds documentary value. Even though Borat is not a social actor, the real social actors he comes in contact with believe he is and act accordingly. Borat the character is nothing but a device, a tool if you will, that is employed to pry into the taboo stereotyping, racist, and homophobic tendencies Americans often have but lay hidden from view unless provoked. This is ultimately what the movie is about. The subject is also helping to further the voice of the film. What better way to experiment with Americans capacity to accept others than to have Borat become lost, traveling aimlessly through America at the mercy of its citizens.

                Sacha’s use of Borat can be thought of as a type of investigative journalism. Just like Nellie Bly who disguised herself as an insane person to infiltrate the unruly world of the insane asylum in the late 1800’s. Sacha is conducting himself in a similar matter, which is, using untruthful devices to uncover real truths that lay hidden from plain view.

Bill Nichols defines documentary film as a work that "speaks about situations and events involving real people (social actors) who present themselves to us as themselves in stories that convey a plausible proposal about, or perspective on, the lives, situations, and events portrayed. The distinct point of view of the filmmaker shapes this story into a way of seeing the historical world directly rather than into a fictional allegory."  (Nichols 14) The interactions Borat has with the social actors (however premeditated) are "situations and events involving real people who present themselves as themselves". Sacha’s "plausible proposal" in this case could be that Americans will be offended and disturbed by any foreigner who lives in very different ways no matter how polite they are. This is ultimately the character of Borat. He can be defined as a foreigner who means well but just has different ethical values that Americans will surely find strange and absurd. The absurdity of his character is a mirror of the absurd Americans who are reluctant to accept others who are different.

The scene in the gun store is a clear depiction of this absurdity. When Borat asks the worker; “which gun would you recommend for killing Jews?” The employee simply answers; “I would suggest either a 9mm or a 45.0”. In a perfect world the employee would have responded to Borat’s question by saying; “None of these guns here are for killing any type of person”. His quick response and eagerness to supply a gun knowing Borat’s intentions reveals a shared hatred for those of the Jewish faith and (to me) boarders on hate crime. The general manager of the “Imperial Rodeo” is my favorite example of how ignorant some people are of their deep seeded racist tendencies. He says something to the effect of; “shave that gosh darn mustache off so you’re not so gosh darn conspicuous. So you look like maybe an (eye)talion. When you wear the mustache I think ;there goes a Muslim I wonder what kind of bomb he’s got strapped to him” Through the lens of the film the quotation reads more like this; “shave your mustache off because you look much too different from what we look like. If you looked like an Italian, you would be more palatable to us and we are more apt to accept you. You should change who you are so that you can fit in with us”. There are not many things in this world I hate, but this man’s oppressive statements are surely one of them. Especially when talking about homosexuals; “take them out and hang them, that’s what we’re trying to get done here”. This not only reveals this man’s bigotry but hints to the fact that he’s trying to advance policy against people with a different sexual orientation. This is something that is very scary to me and hints to a future I do not want for my children.  In these instances, Borat’s outlandish actions have produced the reactions he was intending to produce. There are parts of the movie however, that do not help further his argument.

Some people within the move that rise above their discriminatory urges include Borat’s comedy coach, His driving instructor, the yard sale woman who he calls a gypsy, and the former congressman who eats the cheese made from human milk with the utmost respect. The Jewish family who take him in for the night is nothing but kind and caring to their foreign friend. It is almost painful to watch as they bring up slices of chocolate cake to Borat in order to make him feel welcome and accepted.

The dinner party at the upper class home is a perfect example of how Sacha has intentionally provoked the people to act in extreme ways. The beginning of the meal started off great and even included one of the women commenting that he is a great guy and it wouldn’t take long for him to be assimilated into American culture. Everything takes a drastic turn though when Borat returns to the dinner table with what looks like a bag of his own feces. The cordial report speeds downhill when Borat’s prostitute comes to the door (which in Borat’s culture is perfectly acceptable). The magical night soon ends when the hosts not only kick Borat out (for engaging in activities that are not acceptable to their social norms) but they call the cops on him. I would hate to think that the situation would be different had Borat’s prostitute been white. Although within the south, you never know.

One thing that moved me about the movie and that made me realize aspects about myself (as documentaries often do) was when Borat met the group of black men at night who were gambling on the street. When he was walking up to them I was scared for Sacha. I immediately thought that these guys are not only going to be unaccepting but might hurt him. My own preconceived notions about black, inner city men and their affinity for violence were proven wrong when they are seen laughing and joking with Borat. One of them even takes an interest in him and asks him what kind of music he likes. Others tell him how to dress cool. In this instance the movie taught me about my hidden semi-racist tendencies that I would have never said was present at all but were there whole time.

            If you don't believe that Borat is a documentary, you still must agree that it shares the same struggles concerning ethics that documentaries often do. The ethical dilemmas associated with the production of this movie are numerous. Some of them include the misrepresentation of the nation of Kazakhstan as a borderline third world country (when in fact it is a highly developed country). Also, the amount of information given to the social actors relating to the scope of the project could have made them act in very different ways. However many ethical problems, one (that when examined) has the power to shed light on the validity of Borat within the documentary tradition.

The Question is not; Are these reactions of ordinary Americans useful evidence of their true nature?" They are (some of them). Instead, do the actions of Sacha's over stylized and outrageous character (with his ultra-provocative and acutely offensive dialogue) work to discredit or overshadow these real reactions as to not be an accurate representation worthy of documentation. No doubt the purpose of this well developed character is to get a rise out of people but the fact that they are oblivious to this makes the social actors responses genuine. His outlandish actions are completely warranted when given is investigative intentions. This is the value Borat has within the documentary tradition and should be respected as such.