by Thomas Willett
September 6, 2012
Mads Brugger is up an African creek in “The Ambassador”
Undercover journalism is a field that is often associated with dark subject matter. The goal is to explore the underbelly of social systems to discover what makes them tick. In the Ambassador, Danish journalist Mads Brugger travels to Africa disguised as a European Ambassador. What will hopefully be discovered is just how corrupt politics are while exploiting his newfound power. The premise sounds like a move out of Sacha Baron Cohen’s book, but it isn’t. The slapstick and over the top nature does not apply here. Does Brugger have what it takes to make a lasting analysis on African politics, or is this just another ignorant tourist?
By posing as a wealthy foreigner, using social manipulation and acting like a big shot, Brugger hopes to acquire a personal collection of blood diamonds as an objective to illustration African political structure. He smokes cigarettes and wears a fancy white suit while talking to tribes and other diplomats in order to better understand how he can achieve the highest level of influence. The result is not so much comedic as it is a firsthand look at corruption by playing the corrupter. Through propaganda and playing to the civilian’s interests, he gets his diamonds and gives back a history lesson.
The portion of this movie dedicated to African political history is well done. Using archive footage as well as interviews with current politicians, the information is easy to understand and benefits the story. Brugger is consistently interacting in some way with the concept of having immunity, and the choice to parallel it with history only justifies his experiment as being somewhat with good intentions. What he does with this power, however, is not nearly as interesting.
The problem with the film is that Brugger is kind of a jerk. Not an over the top type of jerk, but one who does it subtly. While he manages to not tarnish his journalistic credibility, he is hard to root for. This is a guy who has power and knowledge of this world. He provides both with the audience, but leaves his own lackluster story in the middle. While we get to see the trouble first hand, it doesn’t feel too dramatically significant because of Brugger’s laid back personality. Even in the final act when he tries to leave Africa by requesting diplomatic immunity, there is a sense that he deserves whatever he gets. His undercover journalism may have provided good points, but they are few and far between.
The story feels like exploitation without a purpose. While Brugger may teach us a few things about the blood diamond trade, this feels more like a paid vacation for a journalist sleep walking through a documentary completed before it started filming. All of the key information comes through interviews and well-edited videos detailing what makes the system so shocking in the first place. There is plenty of thought that went into this, but he brings little to the actual film by making him a central character. Maybe it was used to make it feel more accessible to those who find old school documentaries boring. There is a good story here, just not the one Brugger tells.
The Ambassador is not a terrible film, but feels misleading at times. Instead of caring for African culture, the audience is forced to watch a spoiled Danish journalist on a quest for blood diamonds. Average people will walk out of this a little more enriched about Africa’s political system, but it could have been done in a far more cohesive way. Directors like Errol Morris and Werner Herzog have proven time again that there are ways to humanize the subject without losing focus of the theme. Brugger, with all of his good intentions, could learn a thing or two instead of book ending his film with him uncorking wine bottles at a party.
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