“Imagine gatecrashing a party where you know nobody, introduce yourself under a completely false identity, and then proceed to mock, gross out, and savagely roast everybody in attendance. While it's likely that you'd be hauled out onto the curb within the hour, the same cannot be said for Maria Bakalova; the introduction of Borat's daughter Tutar in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm turned out to be one of the best debuts for a rising comedic talent in years.
“It's hard to overstate how great of an impression Bakalova made with the Borat sequel, in part because she managed to genuinely steal the show from its own creator. Where Sacha Baron Cohen uses the unfiltered shamelessness of his Borat character as both a channel and a mirror to the barely concealed ills of polite Western society–the likes of which have become even more unmoored since his first film's release–Bakalova brilliantly manages to solicit equally revealing responses through uninhibited sincerity.“Whether she's bragging about the 'baby' her dad gave her as 'a treat' in a Pregnancy Crisis Center, or unabashedly flaunting her 'moon blood' dance routine at a debutante ball, Tutar beams with child-like pride at simply being included. Maria Bakalova wields this disarming sweetness the way Bond girls wield miniskirts–even when Tutar's blatantly spouting anti-Semitic statements to a plastic surgeon or preaching the benefits of masturbation to a scandalized Republican women's group, her earnestness contagiously invokes an extraordinary kindness in her unassuming victims. Where Borat gives others permission to say out loud what's been lurking in the back of their minds, and is typically met with threats when he overstays his welcome, Tutar's insanity conversely draws out the misplaced best in those around her.
“Capitalizing on the patience and pity afforded to her, Bakalova cleverly mines these gendered expectations to their most ridiculous and uncomfortable heights. In the end, the most memorable part of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm isn't Rudy Guliani making an ass of himself, it's the genuinely sweet and sad scene of Tutar's babysitter Jeanise feeling compelled to teach her to love herself as she already is.
“Also the scene where Jeanise informs Tutar that vaginas don't have teeth. Are we sure about that one though? I mean, Tutar's got a pretty legit looking book to back that one up. It's got pictures and everything..”
Jenna Ipcar is a Brooklyn-based film critic who loves all things surreal and satirical. Published in The Female Gaze by Alicia Malone and in Bright Wall/Dark Room, she also co-founded Back Row, a film site dedicated to the unsung and alternative, and Cinema60, a podcast that celebrates and reevaluates 1960s cinema. Follow her on Letterboxd and Twitter.
Best Supporting Performance - Top 25:
1. Maria Bakalova - Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan [219/19]
2. Paul Raci - Sound of Metal [159/14]
3. Youn Yuh-jung - Minari [157/15]
4. Glynn Turman - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom [88.5/9]
5. Chadwick Boseman - Da 5 Bloods [82/8]
6. Amanda Seyfried - Mank [78/9]
7. Norma Kuhling - Fourteen [75/7]
8. Bill Murray - On the Rocks [70.5/9]
9. Orion Lee - First Cow [58.5/7]
10. Talia Ryder - Never Rarely Sometimes Always [57.5/6]
11. Brian Dennehy - Driveways [56/5]
12. Candice Bergen - Let Them All Talk [53/5]
13. Leslie Odom Jr - One Night in Miami… [49.5/5]
14. Dianne Wiest - Let Them All Talk [42.5/4]
15. Gina Rodriguez - Kajillionaire [42/4]
16. Matthew Macfadyen - The Assistant [40/4]
17. Olivia Cooke - Sound of Metal [38.5/4]
18. Jane Adams - She Dies Tomorrow [37/3]
19. Clarke Peters - Da 5 Bloods [36/3]
20. Swankie - Nomadland [34.5/4]
21. Dylan Gelula - Shithouse [34/3]
22. Malachi Kirby - Mangrove [33/4]
23. Toni Collette - I'm Thinking of Ending Things [32/4]
24. Andrea Riseborough - Possessor [32/3]
25. David Thewlis - I'm Thinking of Ending Things [31/4]
Tonight at 9 PM: The 25th Anniversary Award!
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