Uri Boaz
9/30/22
Cinema and Society 4
Borat v. American Culture
I believe the movie, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit
Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, is a revolutionary movie, exploring America’s downfalls.
When I first heard that the Americans in this movie weren’t actors, I was shocked out of
my mind, but that just contributed to the message of the movie: America is extremely
racist and sexist.
Originally when we meet Borat in his town of Kuzcek, Kazakhstan, the audience
is immediately intrigued and disgusted by Borat’s odd traditions and habits. This is
shown through the camera following him around through his village, where we learn
about people in the village and the weird social norms. On the other hand, when he
goes to America, his culture is heavily contrasted by the organized and more polite
society. However, as the film moves on the audience sees America’s flaws such as
heavy racist and sexism in the south.
For instance, when Borat is in New York, he meets with a feminist group. Him
and the group are presented in a group “almost long” shot (you can almost see their
feet). The fact that Borat’s eye-level is above the other women’s shows his beliefs
before he even starts talking. This is later reinforced by the fact that he laughs and
makes rude remarks at the feminist group. The angle of this shot is also very interesting
due to Borat’s height. The shot is a very gentle low angle for Borat, yet an eye-level shot
for the women. This could be a comment on society and how men often prey on
women. This scene shows how Borat, who is unfamiliar with American society, is still
portraying its ways (especially in 2006). In addition, when he is with the reporter on TV
he not only stands up, but screams at the top of his lungs. This also helps us get the
understanding that Borat is not familiar with how technology works because he thinks
he has to yell so that everyone can hear him. Finally, one more thing that separates
Borat from America is his tradition of kissing people when he meets them. Although this
might be acceptable in many European countries, in America, kissing someone on the
cheeks when meeting them is a far from strange concept. This also, makes the people
he is meeting very uncomfortable which shows how unfamiliar the concept in the
American culture.
Another example is when Borat is at the rodeo in Virginia the host of the rodeo
talks about terrorism and how he heavily assocciates terrorism with Islam. The host also
mentions a stereotype in which he acknowledges how Borat looks like a Muslim due to
his mustache. Since Borat is an odd character to the audience, the fact that Borat
agrees with the Host’s statements shows us that maybe it isn’t ok to enforce these
stereotypes. In the following scene, Borat sings Kazakhstan’s “national anthem” which
is about how Kazakhstan is the best country and all other countries are worse. In the
beginning of his singing, he is presented in a low angle shot, showing us that he is a
protagonist and accepted. However, when he continues singing and the crowd boos
him, he is moved into an eye-level shot. Why is this? This scene shows America’s
heavy zenophobic nature: As the crowd throws hatred at Borat, he loses the crowd's
acceptance and therefore becomes an even greater outsider. Perhaps this scene was
meant to villainize the American people and help us sympathize with Borat.
Another intriguing aspect of the movie is that it is filmed using a hand held
camera, causing there to be some shaking and inconsistencies during the movie. I think
that this contributes to the realism of the movie, and makes the events happening in the
story more shocking. In addition, it makes the movie more engaging, as you feel you are
there sitting next to Borat as he drives through The States. This realism adds to the
authenticity of the film making it more believable and, like realism suggests, more real.
Something very interesting about the film is that most of the time that Borat is on
the screen he is presented in medium shots. This contributes to the fact that he is
making this documentary as a reporter for Kazakhstan.
Overall, the rift that Borat creates between himself and American culture cannot
be described in words, but as the movie continues, Sacha Baron Cohen geniusly blurs
the line between Borat and American culture.