Film sequels are like government coalitions: when you discover you’re beating a dead horse, dismount. But if the horse isn’t quite dead, there are plenty of reasons to keep on going: a well-oiled team, cheering crowds, full coffers. In this case, the fact that a sequel is seldom better than the original can easily be dealt with.
Inspired by the groundbreaking success of her superhero remake Fledermausman Rises (Batman Rises), film director Gordon takes on today’s hottest topic – the ubiquitous political correctness that threatens every free expression of life like a guillotine. In times when the triple-handicap of male, white, straight is stamped on any normal man’s forhead who just wants to voice his opinion, there are finally stories in which the silenced majority can be found again. The appropriate basis for a horrifying vision of a consistent virtue terror system is conveniently provided by George Orwell’s 1984: An insecure hero who fights against punctuation and speech prohibitions, against surveillance, newspeak, and thought police. A worldwide bestseller with a twist that can win the majority over, these are perfect ingredients for a horror scenario with mainstream potential. If only the damned zeitgeist didn’t exist, all these marginalised party-poopers whose ideas have now reached Gordon’s film set and inexorably brand the foreheads of even the strongest heroes.
Nora Abdel-Maksoud, the funniest among all politically correct author-directors, was voted Young Director of the Year for her film and theater satire The Making-of. With The Sequel, she dares to create a sequel, defying all good advice.
Photo: Esra Rotthoff