“Chosen” It has aroused great interest and emotion since the production stage. Acclaimed director Ali Abbasi reached for the story of Donald Trump from the 1970s and 1980s to show the mechanisms that govern the world: the struggle between power and weakness, temptation and submission, and the eternal rivalry between good and evil. People close to former President Donald Trump (and running for re-election) tried at all costs to block the film’s premiere. Especially since the presidential elections, probably the most important in the last few decades, are fast approaching.
A lover of victory, power and big money, influential lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) shakes up the world of New York’s elite. One day he meets a young businessman Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan), who dreams of revolutionizing the real estate market.
The lawyer takes him under his wing and teaches his new protégé how to use any, even the most calculating, methods to play for the highest stakes and achieve desired goals. At first, the clumsy and naive boy quickly proves to be a quick learner, and his radical metamorphosis surprises everyone, even his master.
“This is not a film about Donald Trump. This is a film about the system. About how it works, how it was built, about the rules that govern it,” Ali Abbasi emphasized.
Roy Cohn was one of the most influential people of his time and one of the most controversial in history. He gained fame as a young prosecutor when he secured the death sentences of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, a married American Jew accused of espionage. In later years, he was a mafia lawyer, a friend of the richest of the rich, a regular at Studio 54 and… a mentor to Donald Trump.
But above all, he was a madman who placed himself above the law, and many called him the worst man in the world. He had three principles that he effectively passed on to his protégé: 1) Attack, attack, attack; 2) Admit nothing, deny everything; 3) No matter what happens, never admit defeat.
Sebastian Stan, who bears a striking resemblance to the young Donald Trump, does not focus solely on the physical aspects of his acting, which he recreates with extraordinary care. He also flawlessly captures the incredible transformation from a naive, somewhat inept boy into a true business shark and tyrant who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. He is matched by the sensational Jeremy Strong, whom Roy Cohn terrifies, repels and fascinates at the same time. The gentlemen are accompanied by Maria Bakalova, nominated for an Oscar for “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”, in the role of Ivana Trump.
The film is distributed by M2 Films. Premiere October 18.