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The Apprentice: the rise of Donald Trump
Presented in Competition in 2022, Holy Spider took us to Iran, investigating the true story of a series of femicides that rocked the native country of director Ali Abbasi. Then, in 2018, the highly original Border won the Un Certain Regard prize. This year, The Apprentice delves into the meteoric rise of Donald Trump, as he scales new heights as a real estate mogul.
You’re fired! So goes the iconic phrase with which Donald Trump abruptly dismissed losing contestants on hit reality TV show “The Apprentice”, where he held the reins from 2004 to 2015. Written by Gabriel Sherman, also known for his New York Times bestseller on the history of Roger Ailes, founder of Fox News, this biographical film delves into Donald Trump’s younger years and the support he received to become the powerful businessman we know today. Between 1970 and 1980, Roy Cohn (wonderful Jeremy Strong), who had also worked with Senator McCarthy, played a pivotal role in shaping young Donald’s career.
Originally from Iran, director Ali Abbasi boasts an eclectic back catalogue of films. Influenced by the surrealism and magical realism of South-American authors Gabriel García Márquez and Carlos Fuentes, the director made an impression with his film Border, presented in the Official Selection in 2018. The Apprentice, meanwhile, takes on a completely different tone, and is firmly rooted in reality, much like his previous feature Holy Spider. Sebastian Stan, known for his role of Carter in the series Gossip Girl, and “Bucky” Barnes AKA the “Winter Soldier” in the Captain America trilogy, portrays a young Donald Trump on his climb to the top.
