Politics has, in many ways, become the be-all and end-all of the America that we live in. There are typically two very distinct groups in this country, left-wing and right-wing, who battle it out to prove to one another, and the world, that their opinions are more valuable than the opposing team. In general, while an essential part of a democracy, politics has become tiresome and, quite honestly, annoying. It’s difficult to listen to people who are full of themselves and deconstruct their rhetoric to differentiate between the necessary and the complete crap employed to pull votes and warrant clicks on social media.
Kill, Kobek…Kill, in many ways, embodies the out-of-hand politics and allows a specific group of people to vent on the faults of the country and those who run it; well, at least, in their perception. I, too, am one of those people who is struggling to appreciate the abundance of politically-charged content in the world today, so I do apologize ahead of time for my thoughts on the subject that may be a bit disconcerting or unappealing.
“…to more or less, embarrass and expose those who are considered right-wing.”
Author Jarett Kobek and writer-director Nick Toti appear to be just as tired of the nonsense as the rest of the world and are determined to dissect the world of politics to shed on some light the horrific injustices of politics and politicians. In 2019 Jarett Kobek wrote the novel “Only Americans Burn in Hell.” Just one year later, he and Toti collaborated on a documentary to both promote the book and, more or less, embarrass and expose those who are considered right-wing. There is more to it, including the success (or lack thereof) of Kobek’s career, but politics takes precedence and is what ultimately guides Kill, Kobek…Kill and the narrative of both Toti and Kobek.
As audiences prepare to listen to the rantings of Kobek (and Toti to some extent), text fills the screen and warns those audiences not to watch. Specifically, Toti writes, “Disclaimer: To date, this video contains what is by far the worst footage that Toti has ever shot. The viewer is encouraged to stop watching now.” While I cannot speak to his overall body of work, Toti, in his text-based intro, is brazen in his explanation that this is one of his worst works and that audiences would be better off not wasting their time.
One might think that this is a sarcastic way to engage audiences and a humble way of saying that, while they are proud of their product, they understand that their particular agenda diminishes the quality of the documentary. Regardless, it seems that audiences, for the most part, might brush this notice off early on and will try and finish the documentary. Sadly, the warning laid out for viewers in the opening seconds accurately depicts Kill, Kobek…Kill and should not be taken lightly.
"…viewers see Kobek as a hypocrite..."
