The Trotsky - Mobile Edition

Movie Reviews
The Trotsky
By Zak Edwards
May 18, 2010 - 18:46

Studios: Park Ex Pictures
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Colm Fiore, Emily Hampshire, and Saul Rubinek
Directed by: Jacob Tierney
Produced by: Isabella Salas, Kevin Tiernby
Running Time: 120 minutes
Release Date: May 14, 2010
Distributors: Alliance Films, Tribeca Films (USA)

The Trotsky, an unashamedly Canadian film about a high school kid who believes he is the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky, a major Russian revolutionary who was very close to Vladimir Lenin, is a very pleasant surprise. Not only is this movie wonderfully clever, it manages to strike at the awkwardness of the lead character at many different angles, embracing the ridiculousness of the scenario, without becoming old or overly predictable. Yes, the film is about rallying a group of students and (spoiler alert) comes complete with the last minute group of people over the hill moment, but it is really the highly enjoyable and laugh out loud funny journey that gets to this scene which makes this movie more than worth while. On a side note, The Trotsky includes a fair amount of profanity, so for those thinking about giving their young kids a fun way to learn about communism and Russian history (and seriously, who does that? Go play outside!), this is probably an inappropriate way.

The film largely relies on the writer, Jacob Tiernby’s, wonderful one-liners and quick pieces of humour which had me shrieking with laughter. In a similar vein to the smash hit Napoleon Dynamite of about five years ago, The Trotsky is filled with wonderfully quotable lines which should really start appearing on t-shirts (“Are you my Stalin, Dwight?”), and it is these one liners which keep the entire concept, one which feels like it would get old almost instantaneously, fresh and continually exploited on multiple fronts. Canadian-born and Montreal resident Jay Baruchel (“She’s Out of My League,” “Tropic Thunder,” and TV’s “Undeclared”) as protagonist Leon nails the part with a myriad of quirky mannerisms and oddball behaviour. While Baruchel is known for playing the oddball, socially awkward but good-hearted guy in almost everything he’s done, this role has a confidence, or maybe arrogance, about it which separates the Leon character from the roles he usually plays, making a type-cast actor show just how great he can be. While I’m not sure how much actual footage of Trotsky exists to take as a reference, especially in his younger, less exiled days, but Baruchel’s ways of walking and talking all help add to an already quirky character, playing up just enough to seem awkward while remaining not too overbearing, just like the comedy of much of the film.

While most of the humour relies on the sheer ridiculousness and lengths Leon will go to revolutionize his public high school, the ways these scenarios approach the subject keeps the entire thing fresh. After a somewhat shaky start involving Leon attempting a hunger strike at his father’s factory, yelling fascist at anything, Leon is transferred to a public school where he attempts to overthrow the principal and his “demonic concubine” sidekick, who are keeping the school on a pretty tight and oppressive leash. Almost instantly, Leon ends up in detention out of solidarity and puts himself against his fascist oppressors. Similarly, Leon’s extremely awkward romance with Alexandria, a significantly older Ph.D student, helps create new scenarios through which Leon can prove just how crazy he is. But the film remains refreshing right through because of the ways through which the film approaches the subject and never lets Leon become disillusioned with his fantasy, keeping the film from going too far into already ventured territory. Instead, the plot of the film only fuels his delusions, making the argument for the actual possibility he might be right (and making a feel good moment about the possibility of rallying for a cause along the way). But most importantly, the film is hilarious the whole way through.

Overall, The Trotsky is simply fun at the movies, filled with great moments for everybody and being ultimately uplifting and only a little predictable. The film’s unashamed Canadian-ness, like taking pot shots at Ben Mulroney, Maple Leaf fans, and even being partially in French (with the soundtrack being composed primarily by French-Canadian band Malajube), just adds to the experience. Being a Canadian myself and knowing how hard it is to make an English film people will actually go and see (the last one I remember which had this bug of a release was Passendale and Young People Fucking before that). So, with such a strong script and strong cast, why not go and support the English Canadian films?

Grade: A- Brilliant and hilarious with a great lead actor to tie everything together.