“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” (yep, that’s the official title) became available on Amazon Prime Video last Friday. It is the sequel to “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” which incited laughter and controversy fourteen years ago with its depiction of fictional Kazakh reporter Borat Sagdiyev, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, as he interacted with real U.S. citizens, most of whom were not aware that they were part of a mockumentary film until its release.

Moral ambiguity aside, “Borat” is a comedy classic, and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” stands pretty well on its own. Neither are for the faint of heart, but like the first film, those who can survive the sequel’s skyscraping cringe levels will find it both hilarious and trenchant. Even as he makes strangers obviously confused or uncomfortable, Cohen is a master of getting them to lower their guard toward his goofy foreign journalist caricature, at least low enough to let themselves be filmed saying some truly questionable things. 

In one scene, Borat points to a propane gas canister in a country store. “Let’s say I want to, uh, um, finish lives of 20 gypsy. Will this be enough?”

The clerk — not an actor — pauses, then gestures to another container. “Maybe the bigger one.”

“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” is full of moments like this, some of which made national news. In this sequel, Borat also has a new partner in crime. The main plot consists of his attempts to transport his daughter, Tutar (Maria Bakalova), to Vice President Mike Pence so that she can be gifted in an effort to win President Donald Trump’s respect for Kazakhstan. Like Cohen, Bakalova has a knack for using her disarming fictional personality to expose real prejudice and bigotry. It’s often funny, but also pretty disturbing.

It is remarkable how well the sequel maintains the energy of the first. One might think that Cohen’s tricks wouldn’t be as effective now due to the Internet’s substantial impact on both prank and PC culture. Plus, as Borat observes, “more people make recognize my face,” thanks to the success of “Borat” in 2006. However, with a few new disguises, this proves to be little trouble. In fact, Borat seems more relevant than ever. Much of the new movie’s production was handled during the spring of this year, just when the pandemic was beginning to blossom in the States. The host of developments that 2020 has gone on to bring combined with an increasingly polarized political atmosphere prove to be a gold mine for the movie’s creators. 

So, if you want to experience a short throwback to 2020’s early months and aren’t fazed by intensely awkward and raunchy social commentary, be sure to check out “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.”