The Brink by Alison Klayman is a must-see documentary following dangerous eminence grise Steve Bannon over the crucial period of the US midterms and the EU elections.
On the Edge
by Alexa DalbyThe Brink
[rating=4]
CAUTION: Here be spoilers
Alison Klayman’s documentary follows Steve Bannon after Breitbart in the US, UK and around Europe by private jet as he mobilises the far right. We see him meet with notorious characters such as Nigel Farage and the leaders of the far-right parties in susceptible European countries.
Physically, he appears an unsavoury character – fat, blotchy and dishevelled, yet to his backers and supporters he comes across as disarming and commendably able to pick up irony. Like the UK’s Farage, he’s a skilled and effective communicator at varying levels.
He says he hated every second he was with Trump at the White House, yet he seems surprised at the hatred that exists for Trump in the outside world. His avowed ambition is to create an international supergroup to undermine the European Union.
There’s revealing fly-on-the-wall and archive footage, though the door is always closed to the camera before fast-talking, highly articulate Bannon says anything too inflammatory.
Overall, it’s a terrifying insight into the dark money and dark forces determining our political future. If only it had been shown on mainstream television before the European elections last week. What a missed opportunity to see the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain. Could it have been allowed? Nevertheless, The Brink is a must-see at this crucial juncture in politics.
The Brink premiered in the UK at Sundance London 2019.
