“Where’s the outrage?” That’s the underlying theme of nearly every news report about Donald Trump and nearly every documentary centered on him. That includes Stormy, a fairly engrossing film that tells the story of Stormy Daniels from Daniels’ point of view, revealing her as a compelling and highly conflicted person. It has become. The film, which premiered tonight at SXSW (released March 18 on Peacock), is the kind of breathless, furrowed, propulsive documentary that mixes tabloid and serious news. Reenacting the scandal with “excitement.” The film casts Stormy Daniels as a liberal folk hero, culture war soldier, and post-MeToo tabloid resistance figurehead (even though she’s actually a red-state Republican). The intention of this movie is to stir up anger.
But somehow, that anger is never quite there — rather, it’s in movies like “Stormy,” but it’s never where it should be, it’s the transgressions of Donald Trump and It’s in the hearts of those who see his crimes that even though we do, he reacts with indignation and callous indifference: why does he continue to get away with it?
There are answers to that, but some of them aren’t what liberals want to hear — especially about Trump’s prominence as a fire-breathing entertainer and how those qualities make him a National Entertainment State has become a kind of model of power. (I’m obsessed with streaming content, that’s just me.) The title of Neil Postman’s prescient 1985 book is “Enjoying It to Death,” and the truth is that Trump An America where even those of us who hate it are complicit to some extent, and the most interesting candidate wins.
The Stormy Daniels saga revolves around President Trump’s fleeting affair with a prominent adult film star and director, as well as the legal drama that ensnared Trump and a classic national sex scandal ( Two things are happening at the same time (think of Elmer Gantry meeting Gary). Hart) can be ridden by anyone who wants to get attention, increase clicks and ratings. Trump and Daniels met at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe in 2006. They became friendly and had a brief relationship (according to Daniels, they had consensual sex one night, although she was not enthusiastic). The issue came to light in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, when Mr. Trump had his partner, National Enquirer owner David Pecker, buy the story in what was known as a catch-and-kill tactic. The article was destroyed by the media. But the story was so sensational it never went away, and at the time Trump offered Daniels $130,000 to sign an NDA. All of this was completely within the law.
The courtroom drama centered on whether Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer and fixer who was paid using Daniels’ home equity, was illegally paid off with campaign funds. On March 30, 2023, Trump was indicted by a grand jury for campaign finance violations in the Daniels case, the first indictment of a former US president. And just a year ago, he said, in the words of Ron Burgundy, it seemed like a big deal. This was the beginning of widespread expectations that Mr. Trump would be convicted and serve time for this and 91 other crimes.
According to an article in yesterday’s New York Times, the Daniels case, which is about to go to trial, has been described by experts and observers as “old, legally dubious, and lacking in the critical issues at the heart of the case.” “It has often been ignored,” he says. [Trump’s] Two cases of election interference. ” But here comes the vile circus, not to mention the liberal contradictions. One aspect of the film’s message, which I wholeheartedly agree with, is that after watching Stormy Daniels as a charismatic and serious professional, it is difficult to see or denigrate Stormy Daniels as a “vulgar” celebrity. It is an outdated way of thinking. She is grateful to be a part of the adult film industry. If you hold her progressive beliefs, there is no need to consider her morally tainted by something like this. But the essence of this incident (and the media coverage of it) is that underneath the fig leaf of campaign finance violations, it’s milking the public for profit. “He paid hush money to a porn star!” It’s a worthwhile angle. With this, we can eat it too.
Most of “Stormy” was filmed in 2018, after Trump was inaugurated as president, and the scandal was still lingering. At the time, Daniels was transitioning from starring in adult films and videos to directing. Following the path blazed by figures like Candida Royale, she became the second-highest paid director in porn, even as she embarked on a national tour as a stripper (I don’t mean “sex worker”, but that word). (because that’s what sex workers use) Daniels uses).
In the documentary, she shamelessly capitalizes on the fame the incident brought her. At the same time, this was her profession even before she made global headlines, so who would question her right to continue doing it? The stripper tour attracted dangerous elements (people who tried to enter the club with weapons) and led to her being arrested by pro-Trump police in Columbus, Ohio. (She sued the state for violating her civil rights and won $450,000 in damages.) She also observed a marriage with rock musician Glenn Crane, who apparently idolizes her. (He lives in a house in McSurban in the Dallas area and has a young daughter). And we see how the glare of the media spotlight can melt their relationship.
As “Stormy” makes clear, opportunism existed at every level of the Stormy Daniels story. Before Trump ran for president, he enjoyed the aura that comes with hanging out with porn stars, but by the time he decided to run, it was no longer convenient. Daniels himself was threatened in the parking lot and spent time fearing for his life if he didn’t keep the story quiet. Still, she never stopped playing media. And the media itself never stopped exploiting the story for profit, despite its performative name-calling.
“Stormy” was directed by Sarah Gibson, but some of the footage we see was shot by the Denver Knicks in 2018. Denver Nicks directed a documentary about Daniels and was briefly romantically involved with her (which ended, which is one of the reasons for her marriage). The film depicts how Daniels, who was briefly carried away by the scandal, becomes a symbol of resistance, but also becomes an extreme victim of the scandal. This happened around the time President Trump filed a $20 million lawsuit against her for defamation. This is not a fair fight. He has the money to involve her in her legal costs, and he has presidential power. The Stormy Daniels story may go down in history as tabloid fodder and expensive political ploy, but for Daniels it became a tragic car crash shown in slow motion. The scandal has been a continuing embarrassment for President Trump. But “Stormy” shows us what scandal is like from inside the sensational bubble of fame, and by the end of the movie, you might have us all a little embarrassed.
