Year: 2019
Director: Matthew Rankin
Country: Canada
Language: English
During a time in which everyone and their grandmother is shouting about Scorsese, I receommend a fairly new film-maker to discuss instead; Matthew Rankin. His shorts are visual oddities that seek to astound the senses, while making Canadians feel simultaneously patriotic and unsettled. Mynarski Death Plummet was my introduction to his great work. The Twentieth Century is his first feature length film, garnering much acclaim wherever it is shown.
The Twentieth Century is a bizarre biopic that re-imagines the formative years of former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King (Dan Beirne) as a series of abject humiliations.
Films centred around Canadian nationalism have been...non-existent, that is, until 2019! Rankin plays it loose with history (as film ought to) and maniacally skewers both the former leader and the carefully protected image of Canada itself. It has been described as "A bizarro Hertiage Moment" and indeed that could not be closer to the truth. This picture has set out to be utterly gonzo.
Shot on 16mm and borrowing its art style from trends of the early 1900's, Twentieth Century has a visual look that sets it apart from every other film in 2019. It's German expressionism meets Surrealism meets Monty Python. The minimalist sets add to the fever dream feel of Rankin's remarkable, and incredibly funny, picture.
Based on actual people, events, and words in King's own diaries, Rankin presents us with a compelling reconstruction of history that turns the public reputation of Canada on its head. I adore how unconventional Twentieth Century is and I hope Rankin makes more feature length films in the future.
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