Synopsis
A man (Richard Roxburgh) the Australian government blames for 1990s political woes blames his mother (Judy Davis), a communist Stalin seduced in 1951.
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Cast
- Judy DavisJoan Fraser Welch
- Sam NeillDavid 'Dave' Hoyle, aka Agent 'Nine'
- F. Murray AbrahamJosef 'Uncle Joe' Stalin
- Richard RoxburghJoseph 'Joe' Welch
- Rachel GriffithsConstable Anna Welch
- Geoffrey RushZachary Welch
- Russell KiefelBarry Rogers
- John GadenProf. C.W. 'Wilf' Wilke
- Kenneth RadleyBernard Shaw
- Ben McIvorJoe Welch at 8 Years
Recommendations
- 100
San Francisco Examiner
The scenes with Stalin and his frightened underlings, his giddy yes-men tip-toeing around him, are written and directed by Duncan with a grace, agility and comic deftness one rarely is treated to at the movies these days. - 80
Chicago Reader
Equally impressive is Duncan's stylish handling of decor, dialogue, narrative ellipsis, and pacing, all of which call to mind the Hollywood master Ernst Lubitsch. - 80
Los Angeles Times
A gloss on the disillusion that came with the embracing of communist ideals that is part playful farce, part dark satire, this unclassifiable film, both comic and strange, always holds your attention even when it doesn't seem to know where it's going. - 80
Salon
Children of the Revolution won't leave its audiences weak with laughter, but it should have the most perceptive among them arguing in the aisles. - 80
The New York Times
This comedy has less to do with narrative than with sheer chutzpah and a first-rate cast. It manages to be irreverently funny despite a subject that is no laughing matter. - 75
ReelViews
Not only is it based on a fairly original premise, but the humor exhibits a distinct edge. - 75
Rolling Stone
Duncan zips through five decades and dozens of characters without reducing the participants to cliches or slogans. A remarkable cast helps him to keep focused on the core of the piece. - 75
San Francisco Chronicle
That Duncan can't come up with a satisfying ending and lets the story drift into a confusing polemic is hardly surprising. He's guilty of overreaching -- interrupting his very sly satire with quasi-serious thoughts on the end of Soviet communism.
