Friday, November 20, 2020

Blend together 1930s German Expressionism, 1980s David Lynch, 1940s Golden Age romance, a pint of maple syrup and a couple strong tabs of LSD and you might come close to Matthew Rankin's The Twentieth Century, which /Film calls, "...possibly the craziest and most unique biopic ever made." Toronto, 1899. Aspiring young politician Mackenzie King (Dan Beirne) dreams of becoming the Prime Minister of Canada. But his romantic vacillation between a British soldier and a French nurse, exacerbated by a fetishistic obsession, may well bring about his downfall. In his quest for power, King must gratify the expectations of his imperious Mother, the hawkish fantasies of a war-mongering Governor-General, and the utopian idealism of a Que´be´cois mystic before facing one final test of leadership. Culminating in an epic battle between good and evil, King learns that disappointment may be the defining characteristic of the twentieth century! NR (Mature) / 90 min.