THE AMBASSADOR (Mads Brügger, Denmark). 94 minutes. Rating: NNN
After infiltrating North Korea as a phony comic in his last film, Danish journalist Mads Brügger seeks to expose just how easily diplomatic accreditation can be purchased in Africa for the purposes of smuggling and illegal trading. From setting up backroom deals with crooked consuls and brokers to creating his own front operation in the Central African Republic, he crafts a coal-black comedy that gets exponentially more dangerous the deeper he goes.
The film plays things almost too straight at times, making Brügger seem far from likeable and even a bit racist. It’s hard to tell what’s genuine and what’s manufactured. But the up-close look at a blood-diamond mine and the wit and chills in hidden-camera interviews carry lots of weight.
4, 4:45 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 2 May 5, 9 pm, Regent.
