The fly-on-the-wall approach to this documentary about Stephen K Bannon, self-appointed ringmaster of the nationalist movement, will not please everyone. Director Alison Klayman chooses to observe rather than to interrogate. This is not a film that asks tough questions. But Klayman’s unthreatening camera slips into the safe space where the American reveals more about himself than perhaps he realises. It follows Bannon from his fall from grace within the Trump inner circle to a rebranding and resurgence that sees him cast as an orchestrator and kingmaker for aspiring fascists around the world. It’s unsavoury viewing – flies on the wall are rarely attracted by the sweet smell of roses after all – but it’s queasily fascinating nonetheless.
