Courtesy of Rich Spirit

Coming fresh off its Cannes Film Festival premiere, Ali Abbasi’s Donald Trump biopic, “The Apprentice,” hit theaters on Oct. 11, despite its complicated journey to a worldwide release. Following the story of Trump’s transformation into the man the world knows today, Abbasi explores the relationship between the former president and his mentor/lawyer, Roy Cohn, and its direct link to Trump’s modern persona.

The story, similar to the director’s previous work, follows a metamorphosis of one of the most discussed figures in the world right now. Giving the viewer a clear “where, why and how” of Trump in his youth, the movie draws fascinating but subtle links to the billionaire and politician seen on screens today.

Written by Gabriel Sherman, a journalist well-known for covering the 2016 presidential election and Trump’s campaign, the story has faced backlash from some for its humanization of the former president, bringing such a controversial figure like Donald Trump into even more of a spotlight despite his problematic actions well known to the public. However, the movie utilizes this unique angle to make its run that much more devastating, as the audience faces the ruthless change in the main character. Jeremy Strong (playing Roy Cohn) encapsulates the crew’s intention behind telling this story, saying in an interview with the New York Times, “We’re trying to hold a mirror up to this world and these individuals and try to understand how we got here,” something so clearly seen throughout the movie’s 122 minute duration.

The movie has also faced a negative response from the real Trump as well as many viewers for the timing of its release, coming out only three weeks before Election Day, but when asked about it by the New York Times, Abbasi denied planning this, stating, “It is, I think, incredibly fortuitous timing that it can come out at a moment where it has the potential to illuminate something about the inner workings of this man, but it stands alone as a film.”

Due to the real Trump threatening a lawsuit against the movie, as well as stating that the movie was “garbage” and “pure fiction,” the film garnered a divided audience, with an expectation of the movie to be a mockery/caricature, similar to other portrayals of the politician seen in media recently (most notably on “Saturday Night Live”). But contrary to these portrayals, the movie tows the fine line between this with fascinating acting from Sebastian Stan, most known for his role as the Marvel superhero Winter Soldier, bringing Trump to life.

Stan’s subtle mannerisms are tasteful and do not feel like an impression of the politician. Stan creates a much more unique performance of Trump, as we see the youthful but a little too ambitious man slowly become the Trump persona. Stan’s performance has it all — the pursed lips, the enunciations and the hand gestures, but none of it feels forced. Instead, it feels much more like a slow making of a monster — as Trump’s arrogance grows, so does his persona and mannerisms, making Stan’s performance that much more chilling.

Alongside Stan, Strong, coming fresh off his Tony Award win for “The Enemy of the People,” delivers a breathtaking performance as the prosecutor, training the young Trump to live by his three ruthless rules — always attack, never admit wrongdoing, and always claim victory, even if defeated. Strong, who is no stranger to this kind of tough male character, creates a biting character willing to betray anyone for the win — a quality he passes on to Trump later in the movie.

By showing Trump’s relationship with his first wife, Ivana, played by Maria Bakalova, an independent woman marrying into Trump’s soon-to-be chaotic life, we see a new side of Trump highlighted through the relationship. Her vulnerability adds a layer to Trump’s transformation, as we see moments from their life together play out alongside Trump’s rise to power, with their marriage growing more and more neglected with each passing vignette. Abbasi and Sherman write each relationship with nuance and care, only to plummet them at the last moment, showing Trump’s shift into becoming the billionaire real-estate agent, losing all of these meaningful connections to his wife, his brother, his parents and his mentor, as he slowly abandons them all.

Watching the movie as it shifts from soft oranges and yellows into VHS snapshots, Abbasi highlights the lavish life Trump joins, moving from Cohn’s “old money and politics” house, club and courtrooms to the flashy and over-the-top Trump Tower and penthouses that Trump and Ivana share together.

Overall, the movie strikes with its raw and unapologetic way of telling the story, making for a fascinating movie-going experience that makes the viewer think while also truly showing the audience that such controversial people are human, while also absolving them of the repercussions of their villainous choices. Most certainly, in light of the current election, “The Apprentice” carves out a space for itself with this, pushing for conversation among those who choose to engage with it and providing nuance for the choice US citizens made last Tuesday, acting as a thought-provoking foreshadowing for the presidential term to come.

So, from one Letterboxd user to another – 8/10