Films that could be preemptively compared to Trump's presidency
![Films that could be preemptively compared to Trump's presidency](https://screenanarchy.com/assets_c/2017/01/ca1bd0c224c2a06342407ee88bb22abaa04dd11e-thumb-860xauto-65102.jpeg)
In less than 24 hours, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States and according to the mainstream and alternative press will usher in an apocalyptic era where women, racial/religious minorities, members of the LGBTQIA community, gingers, and Scientologists of this country will be disenfranchised worse than ever and all previous efforts to escalatingly cease hate crimes will suddenly be reverted. Thankfully, the great art-form known as film can be used as a mirror to this futuristic society and can be used to continuously comment on the next four or eight years as a fearmongering way to generate clickbait so that film journalism will continue to be relevant and taken seriously.
We don't have to wait til Trump's inauguration because some filmmakers have as much socio-political foresight as the journalists who comment on their films. It's truly terrifying and scary to see the many films that have been made over the past few decades, even dating back towards the birth of cinema, that so accurately reflect Trump's America that hasn't occured yet.
Mad Max: Fury Road- No-one else in the world, not even Kim Jong Un, could be more aptly compared to villain Immortan Joe than Donald Trump. I personally wouldn't be surprised if Trump has a slew of innocent women who he uses for his own sexual and milk-related reasons. Immortan Joe's mistreatment of women, and all people who aren't his allied War Boys, is as ruthless as Trump's comments on women and anyone who isn't a red-neck right-winger -- like he himself stated "if you're not with us, you're against us". Things get even scaringly relevant when you consider the War Boys, who are adamant about mindlessly supporting and enacting the wishes of their leader, no matter how barbaric, who can easily be compared to the conservatives and the alt-right movement that has spawned recently, which unfortunately under Trump's presidency has the very realistic potential to allow these misinformed right-wingers to swarm the streets and harass women, commit hate crimes en masse, and reverts the US's decency back to how it was in the '50s. I don't know if the artful genius George Miller thought about this when he was making this masterpiece, but it's very likely since what occurs in the film is very likely going to occur within the next four or eight years.
The Matrix- Along with Fury Road, this is the perfect analogy for the future of Trump's United States. The world of the Matrix is a false one, one that has been fabricated for the purpose of keeping its occupants acquiesced, which so truly represents the world of Trump's presidency where the press is no longer properly informed, schools are again filled with archaic religious material, and the reaction to the very real probability of climate change goes on deaf ears. In the film, Neo must take the red pill to find out the truth, though unfortunately the term 'red pilled' has been hijacked by the alt-right and is now synonymous with hating on women and gay people. I'd like to take back this term and have it equate to fighting for the disenfranchised's rights, sticking up for women, and believing in what's real and what's really killing our planet (before it ends up like Zion).
The Wolf of Wall Street- Like the Jordan Belfort character (who's unfortunately a real person), Trump is someone whose primary goal is to acquire even more money and power, even if it means totally disregarding all others. This sort of solipsistic gain is a sign of how much capitalism has warped our previously held views on morality, which has gotten to the point where a chauvinistic racist homophobe can buy his way into the most important job in the world. Let this article be a cautionary treatise that a suspected chauvinistic racist homophobe like Belfort may one day also run for (or buy his way into) presidency.
Star Wars/Harry Potter- Even the films with the most traditional archetypes are so revealing of Trump's impending presidency. No other film series best exemplifies the hero's journey than the Star Wars and Harry Potter series, which also both feature two of the most iconic film villains ever, whose faces we keep seeing in this orange-headed man who will soon rule over the US (and the world). Lord Voldermort is shown to be a greedy character who tries to kill Harry Potter, despite the immense opposition he has from the majority of wizardy institutions -- this story was a clear foresight into Trump's own villainy, who wishes to banish all minorities and disadvantaged people from the country despite the opposition from the majority of the people of this country. Maybe Trump ought to set some time for these eight films and discover himself in the villainous and oppressive Voldermort character.
As for Star Wars, anyone who's seen Return of the Jedi has seen that this incredibly dark villain actually manages to enact a great act of goodness before his demise, adding a profound multifaceted nature to the usual villain archetype. Although real life isn't as multifaceted as blockbuster films like these, which means it isn't Darth Vader who Trump can be compared to, but Vader's even more evil superior who he overthrows -- Emperor Palpatine. I don't believe that someone like Mike Pence will be the one to overthrow Trump's inevitable reign of terror over the US, but perhaps some other dark figure who we all believed was the real villain will be the one to do the important deed -- perhaps it is Kanye West who is Darth Vader.
The Godfather- Hailed as one of the greatest films ever (sitting at #2 of best films on IMDb), it's no wonder The Godfather still manages to ring relevant for people these days, and it's about to get even more relevant. This film really shows just how ruthless and evil the mob can be when it comes to getting what they want, taking out the competition by killing them so that their own profits will be raised. Although Trump didn't have Hillary Clinton killed during the election, he did use certain tactics to hi-jack the election and lower her count-vote since she was clearly the peoples' choice for president. Just like Michael Corleone shuts the door on his wife, keeping her out of all business deals, so too does America and the western world in general on women wishing to enter into politics and business and clean up all the mess men have created. We can truly learn something about men and mobsters from The Godfather, and realise that now we have a male mobster in the White House.
The Dark Knight (Rises)- Here's another masterpiece of filmmaking and storytelling that also predicted the future. It's hard to say which character Trump is, though: we would normally say the Joker, who is the villain, but the Joker's reputation in this cynical late stage of capitalism makes him more of an anarchist type rather than a corrupt person. Perhaps Trump is more like Two-Face, the other villain in the film. It's hard to say exactly, though we can all agree that Obama is the Dark Knight himself, the caped crusader who fights day and night for the rights of all people, no matter how poor or how dark their skin colour. The follow-up film, The Dark Knight Rises, seems to be more revealing of current events now: Bruce Wayne gives up his Batman role, like Obama is being forced to now, and his acts of greatness are replaced with acts of tyranny. Don't be surprised if you see in the next four or eight years that the US resembles the huge fight scene in the movie, as that is the US you voted for.
12 Angry Men- Here is a film that portrays more the current political climate amongst Western society, with the men who voted 'guilty' being the oppressive conservatives and the one man who voted 'not guilty' being the liberal who stems the tide no matter how much flack he gets -- because it turns out he is right! This is an optimistic film that shows how through thorough research and asserting your beliefs can eradicate the dim-witted uninformed masses and sway them towards enlightenment. I don't think there'll be any room for optimism in our apocalyptic years to come, but I thought I'd add it here just in case.
Citizen Kane- Even back in 1941, genius filmmakers were aware of the ridiculous state the US' politics is in right now. Orson Welles made this film about William Randolph Hearst, but he might as well have made it about the Donald Trump we are faced with now. Perhaps I've reiterated the point about Trump being compared to just about every and any movie villain, but I end this article on a note of peace -- as Kane has a lost piece of himself that is never returned to him, perhaps it is a sled or some other lost childhood memorabilia that could make Trump see the right way and change all of his policies for the better. Unfortunately, I do not think this would happen because despite how truly evil and wretched all of these movie villains are, none of them come anywhere near as pure evil as the real-life man himself.