Carmen Meets Borat

Life in the tiny rural village of Glod, Romania is pretty uneventful for 17-year-old Carmen. She works in her father's bar, waiting on layabouts, watching Spanish soap operas, and planning a life far, far away. But when crews from Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat film arrive, everything changes. Speaking no English, the townsfolk mistake it for a real documentary, and respected villagers like Carmen's father and grandfather happily mug for the camera. When they see themselves portrayed on screen as Kazakhstani whores, thieves, and abortionists, the village is horrified. Cue revenge: big city lawyers channel their outrage into a $30-million lawsuit against the studio. Cue drama: fantasies of fantastic wealth spread like wildfire. Even Carmen begins to reconsider her prospects in Glod, but village greed and suspicion soon catch up to her. Director Mercedes Stalenhoef uncovers a story befitting Hollywood in this darkly comic film about pride, betrayal, and Borat.


　　Hotdocs 2009