Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

You've Been Trumped
2011
****
Director: Anthony Baxter
Cast:

In 2006, Donald Trump announced his plans to build a luxury golf resort over a Site of Special Scientific Interest on the west coast of Scotland. The Aberdeenshire Council rejected the planning permission, but the Scottish government overrode the decision on economic grounds. The project caused wide outrage, particularly among environmental groups and the local community. Anthony Baxter's absorbing documentary made my blood boil. It tells a David and Goliath story, in which the little guy doesn't stand a chance. Here David is a poor farmer/fisherman, who refuses to sell his home (or, as his nemesis calls it, pigsty), and Goliath is a ruthless American tycoon with deep pockets. Donald Trump comes across as a pompous and arrogant bully, which probably makes him proud. The real bad guys in this tragedy are the spineless Scottish authorities who were blinded by money. Some parts of the story bear uncanny resemblance to Local Hero, which Baxter uses as a framing device.