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Contents related to Pres. Trump are hot on Netflix

Posted November. 23, 2020 07:28,   

Updated November. 23, 2020 07:28

한국어

“Who is he? And how did he become a president of the United States?” It sounds like a question about President-elect Joe Biden, but it is not. It is a question asked in the beginning of Netflix’s documentary film “Trump: An American Dream.” The film explores the journey of President Donald Trump who started reconstruction of hotels in New York City in the 1970s and became the 45th president of the U.S. by gaining attention and popularity of the public through real estate, casinos and TV shows afterwards. Netflix released the show in March 2018, but recently ranked high in the “Watch It Again” list in Korea.  

Movie fans are showing an interest in the 2020 film “Hillbilly Elegy,” which indirectly shows how “Trumpism,” an ethos of supporting anything that Trump says, emerged. Some say that it is a must watch to understand the fading Trump era since it was released on November 11.  

Netflix’s limited series “Explained: Whose Vote Counts,” released in September, is also popular. The show explores the 2016 presidential election in which Hillary Clinton competed against Trump and the voting system of the U.S. It gained traction on social networks and blogs in Korea early this month. People who watched it said that they understood the electoral college of the U.S. by watching it again or they studied why Trump was against mail voting.  

Trump content gaining traction is evidence that he is still garnering attention of the public, whether it is positive or negative. It means the public wants to understand why Trump won four years ago. “You can criticize Trump only after understanding Trumpism,” said a blogger while mentioning “Hillbilly Elegy.”  

Some say that the reason that content related to President Trump is hot again is because of the wide adoption of the over-the-top (OTT) media services, which makes it easy to watch content again. It means documentaries or films that reflect reality are consumed again when situations similar to the past occur. “Films always reflect the era,” film critic Jeon Chan-il said. “And they are loved because they understand the public sentiment.”


hoho@donga.com