Steve Bannon is on “The Brink”

I’m not exactly sure why Steve Bannon agreed to do this documentary unless he really believes in the Trump mantra “all publicity is good publicity.” The title of the film, "The Brink," draws from an Abraham Lincoln quote about America on the brink of destruction. In this documentary, Bannon, using this quote, tries to paint himself as a sort of savior who has swooped down on the world to save it from destruction through the populist movement.

Steve Bannon is one of America’s most divisive figures. His international rise to fame came when mainstream parties in America, Europe and Asia were losing voters and he began to champion the rise of populism. From his time with the Trump political campaign for the Presidency and in the White House to the present, many feel that he has spawned nothing but hatred and bigotry both in this country and abroad. In fact, many have gone so far as to call him and his ideas "dangerous."

The "Brink" begins just after Bannon left the White House in 2017, and was filmed over the ensuing 15 months. In the years since the Presidential election in 2016, Bannon has tried to expand his sphere of influence and increase his interaction with powerful individuals on the international stage. As showcased in the film, Bannon and his band of merry world leaders are trying to create a global platform and organize populists from Brazil to Brussels. His agenda to organize is ambitious in an era which has been called a "geopolitical recession." With the rise of China, the failure of Russia to align with the West, and voter disillusionment in the West amid economic and cultural change, many feel that the momentum in democracy is with nationalists - not globalist or pro-globalization groups. And yet, in "The Brink," we see that Bannon tries to bring nationalist leaders together to create a globalist movement. It's a little like watching salmon swimming upstream.

"The Brink" documentary is filmed from a “fly-on-the-wall” perspective, and director Alison Klayman got some amazing access to not just Bannon, but leaders from around the globe who are part of the international populist movement. She doesn't ask a lot of questions of Bannon. There aren't many interviews. Rather, she shows what Bannon does and says both on the public stage and behind the scenes. He's shown at Republican fundraisers and rallies, giving public speeches, and attending exclusive dinner meetings with European leaders in an attempt to organize a populist coalition and "The Movement," his response to George Soros' Open Society. We also see Bannon in his home speaking to political operatives or cronies on the phone, or being interviewed by the press. He doesn't hide his political sympathies on camera, and talks about everything from the civilization war between the Judeo-Christian West and radical jihadist Islamic fascism, to restrictionist and anti-immigration policies, to "fake news."

It is clear right from the beginning that Klayman doesn’t like Steve Bannon. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that she loathes the man. He's definitely portrayed as a pompous and evil person. Almost every time he appears there's creepy music underscoring his presence, and rather than being perceived as a savior, we get the sense that he's more of a Rasputin.

Since the 2018 midterm election when many candidates on the right lost their seats, many feel that Bannon's power is waning. Many European nationalists are very anti-American, and the last thing they want is an American coming in an trying to organize their political parties. By the end of the film, it is insinuated that Bannon may not be as powerful as he likes to think he is, and that his populist ideology is on the downturn. Wit’s the upcoming 2018 European Union elections coming up, we'll have to see.

“The Brink“ felt like I was watching the diary of a blowhard. Bannon says a lot in the movie, but it is bluster without a lot of action. The film didn’t reveal much new, it just affirmed what we all know about Bannon because he‘s in the public eye, and publically expresses his opinions frequently. He’s not very like-able, and after a while I just got tired of hearing Bannon toot his far-right horn.