"You shall govern this dominion!"

Vancouver International Film Festival
Actor Dan Beirne stars as King in the unconventionally twisted take on the "important man" biopic formula set mostly in 1899 Toronto and realized mostly through boxy, public television program style sets. It's a dynamic, captivating performance that complements the surreal cinematic form seamlessly.
Using fascist propaganda inspired imagery and literalizing actual "pissing contests" in place of the usual political theatrics, the film is so detailed in its dissection and skewering of Canadian historical perceptions. Never mind the seal clubbing or outdated monarchal addresses, it shines a playful light on forgotten "Canadian manhood".
Full of visual hyper-stylistic myth-making, The Twentieth Century suggests a twisted sort of feature-length contemporary arthouse version of the iconic Heritage Minutes commercials. Rankin's dreamlike film is an interesting vision of an impressionistic Canada mirroring back a heightened version of how Canadians see ourselves through our history. It's easily one of the more memorable and original works of Canadian historical fiction.
The Twentieth Century screened at the 2019 Vancouver International Film Festival as part of the True North and Future//Present streams at the Rio Theatre.
More | YVArcade / Film Stage / Now Toronto / Playback / Tyee
0 reactions:
Post a Comment