Listen to Rumours Film Review @ 41:38
Maybe we could use a bit of political satire right now. You know, enjoy a laugh here and there given this new changing of the guard on the horizon for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Canadian directors Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson have produced a spoof of sorts called Rumours, a collaboration that delivers an immersive cinematic experience that pushes the boundaries of conventional storytelling.
Rumours weaves a kaleidoscopic narrative, blending surrealist imagery, fragmented storytelling, and a dense, dreamlike atmosphere around a fictional G7 summit, a gathering of 7 leaders of the world who have assembled in a chateau in the small town of Dankerode, Germany to discuss well, world leadership. Maddin and Crew blend absurd political comedy with elements of horror, science fiction, and surrealism.
Leaders from the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, attend the summit as well as the European Commission’s Secretary-General.
The film’s premise is as elusive as its execution, built around the concept of hearsay and half-truths. The narrative unfolds in a fragmented manner as characters drift in and out of the story like ghosts. Their dialogue isn’t for us; they’re preoccupied with their own insular circle. Whispers and distorted audio fragments bring to relief animated yet hollow people who just happened upon luck and were anointed their country’s leader. They lack substance and direction, and mumble about inconsequential things. What is worse, they aren’t planning anything—no strategy. No missives. No future plans. To the point: What’s the crisis?
All leaders are stranded in the woods somewhere out there in Dankerode, Germany, and, as usual, when night comes no telling what kind of things arrive to greet you. The sound design plays a crucial role in immersing the viewer then catapulting the senses into a realm of darkness, uncertainty, and fear, creating a disorienting atmosphere wrapped in a feeling that the sounds are reaching out from a distance heightening the film’s ghostly mood. There’s even a bit of the absurd! Just imagine discovering a something or other the size of an asteroid plunked down in the forest.
It doesn’t stop there. Shadow or bog people lurk about the fog-laden forest in the night. These ancient mummified figures that represent a preserved though buried history juxtaposed modern political ineptitude. More broadly, The Bog People are part of the film’s critique of leadership and communication failures.
The Film stars Cate Blanchett, Nikki Anuka Bird, Charles Dance, and Takehiro Hira.
Rumours plays through Thursday, November 28 at The Ross Media Arts Center in Lincoln
Also playing at The Ross through December 5 is Anora, Sean Baker’s audacious, thrilling, and comedic variation on a modern day Cinderella story.
For Friday Live! I am Kwakiutl Dreher
The Dreher Report 