True/False Films

Carmen Meets Borat

In person: director Mercedes Stahlenhoef

Sneak preview. As far as 17-year-old Carmen can tell, nothing much happens in her town of Glod, Rumania... that is, until Sasha Cohen arrives, duping the impoverished residents there into becoming stand-ins for the people of Kazakhstan for his mockumentary film Borat. Mercedes Stahlenhoef shows us the before and after in Glod, following the outraged citizens who plan a lawsuit after realizing they had been portrayed as bumbling whores and thieves by Cohen. Carmen Meets Borat is a crazy-quilt mix: a sensitive coming-of-age story; a slice-of-life portrait of a "godforsaken place" (as Carmen calls it); an incisive look at a media circus; and a reflection on Hollywood ethics. Bouncing along to a lively Gypsy-influenced score, Carmen builds big crowd-pleasing scenes while displaying empathy with its Glod-based characters, including Carmen's grandfather, depicted in Borat as an abortionist. This time, he's no caricature, but remains deeply entertaining nonetheless. (PS)