LGM Film Club, Part 238: The Twentieth Century

New Year’s Eve deserves a comedy and let me recommend the 2019 Matthew Rankin film The Twentieth Century, a completely bonkers “biopic” of Canadian prime minister McKenzie King’s rise to power. Let’s just say…..it is not history. It is however, freaking hilarious. First, it’s been called the most Canadian film ever made and yes maybe it is. The skills competition to become prime minister is amazing. Second, the idea of a fascist Canada is great and even better when the fascist propaganda is used against the Boers in 1899. Also, the artistic side of this film is really fantastic. In fact, I’m not sure I can think of a comedy with better visuals than this….maybe ever. Like, there is some serious art behind this. Some have called it such an homage to Guy Maddin as to be nearly a copy of his work, but I don’t see this as an insult. This is just first-rate stuff.