Synopsis
Toronto, Canada, 1899. William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874-1950) fervently believes that he is destined to become Prime Minister, but to do so he will first have to fight his personal obsessions and overcome the many obstacles he will encounter on his tortuous path to power.
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Cast
- Dan BeirneMackenzie King
- Sarianne CormierNurse Lapointe
- Catherine St-LaurentRuby Elliott
- Mikhaïl AhoojaBert Harper
- Brent SkagfordArthur Meighen
- Seán CullenLord Muto
- Trevor AndersonMr. Justice Richardson
- Marie BrassardAsbestos Miner
- Kee ChanDr. Milton Wakefield
- Martin DubreuilJohn Christian Schultz
Recommendations
- 100
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Rankin has a made a great film about Canada and an even greater one about the kinds of subjects somewhat contraband in our home and native land: unbridled romantic longing, living in fear of one’s own mother, a perverse desire to masturbate with a dirty work boot, political ambition and shame. - 91
The A.V. Club
Rankin’s ambitious thesis on how idiocy, horny neuroses, and pure chance come to sculpt the geopolitical narrative never gets bogged down by the social-studies minutia. He throws one dazzling diversion after another at his audience. - 83
The Film Stage
It’s the most exciting kind of aesthetic pastiche, one that swirls together so many different flavors that it feels like something wholly new. - 83
IndieWire
While there’s a certain “muchness” to Rankin’s style, and it goes without saying this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, the filmmaker’s refusal to temper his vision serves him well in the long run, as his feature debut eventually achieves an operatic wackiness that carries it over the finish line. - 80
Slashfilm
The film’s style is impeccable, its comedic delivery perfectly timed, and its editing sharp and energetic. A biopic by way of expressionistic absurdism, it’s a bold and uproariously funny statement of intent. - 80
Variety
The more familiar one is with Canadian history, the funnier it is. But even without prior knowledge of our neighbor to the north, it can be enjoyed for its combination of supreme creativity, jaw-dropping audacity and amusing tongue-in-cheek dialogue. - 80
Los Angeles Times
Think Guy Maddin as the long-lost seventh Python. But it’s also one of the more vivid and amusing excursions in a year marked by unclassifiable realities and the need for diverting art. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
The jokes are often ridiculous, as is pretty much everything else that happens, but there’s a palpable energy and visual inventiveness on display that keeps things watchable.
