The Twentieth Century

Released Nov 20, 2020

Comedy

Drama

List

93%

58 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

Toronto, 1899. Aspiring young politician Mackenzie King (Dan Beirne) dreams of becoming the Prime Minister of Canada. But his romantic vacillation between a British soldier and a French nurse, exacerbated by a fetishistic obsession, may well bring about his downfall. In his quest for power, King must gratify the expectations of his imperious Mother, the hawkish fantasies of a war-mongering Governor-General, and the utopian idealism of a Québécois mystic before facing one, final test of leadership. Culminating in an epic battle between good and evil, King learns that disappointment may be the defining characteristic of the twentieth century!

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Critics Consensus

A silly, surreal treat for fans of absurd comedy, The Twentieth Century takes a sideways -- and often deliriously entertaining -- look at Canadian history.

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Audience Member

2.2 I’m fine with this weird but it’s needs to be matched with equal enjoyment

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/26/21

Full Review

nefasto r

Didn't know much about Canadian political history before, and I probably know even less after the viewing, but the peculiarity, the charm and the sense of humor of the film makes it time well spent.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

dave d

Part drunk history and total farce, 'The Twentieth Century' could be a straight faced account an American would give on Canada politics in 1950. Matthew Rankin, after making a series of shorts, brings us the kind of unique vision for a feature that will either captivate you or lose you. Put me in the mesmerized camp. I liked the artistic expression Rankin uses coupled with a hint of comedy. There may also be several inside jokes that Canadians get more than the neighbors to the south. What an escape from all the normals! Final Score: 8/10

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A smart and funny take on a chapter of Canadian history defying the laws of contemporary cinema: cross-gender acting, almost non-existent scenery and so on. All these 'new' tools do not turn film into a Frankenstein monster though, on the contrary adding a new perspective.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Rankin is clearly indebted to Guy Maddin here and while the world building isn't as airtight I can appreciate the go for broke weirdness and some truly hilarious sequences.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

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Matthew Rankin

Director

Dan Beirne

Mackenzie King

Sarianne Cormier

Actor

Catherine St-Laurent

Ruby Eliott

Mikhaïl Ahooja

Bert Harper

Brent Skagford

Arthur Meighen

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Mark Kermode

Kermode & Mayo's Film Review

I loved the way it uses expressionist tropes and subverted thing...a little bit Monty Python...

Feb 25, 2021

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Finally, the film dissolves in silliness and whimsy, but not before it's given us some surreal spectacle.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 8, 2021

Full Review

Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

It ends up being a smashingly good and goofball history of the non-world of Canadian history and flim-flammery, deeply committed to its own colonial crazy.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 1, 2020

Full Review

Frederick Blichert

The Tyee (British Columbia)

A glimpse into the debasement of a national icon is perhaps an appropriate reminder of Canadas dual role on the world stage simultaneously boastful exemplar and timid underdog.

Feb 13, 2022

Full Review

Lawrence Garcia

In Review Online

There's no question that the director has ample technical facility ... [but] there's ample cause for disappointment, then, when it comes to The Twentieth Century.

Jun 5, 2021

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

A nightmarish absurdist comedy that's full of good cheer and whimsical silliness even as it presents an almost unendurably cynical understanding of civilisation.

Rated: 4.5/5

May 3, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Toronto, 1899. Aspiring young politician Mackenzie King (Dan Beirne) dreams of becoming the Prime Minister of Canada. But his romantic vacillation between a British soldier and a French nurse, exacerbated by a fetishistic obsession, may well bring about his downfall. In his quest for power, King must gratify the expectations of his imperious Mother, the hawkish fantasies of a war-mongering Governor-General, and the utopian idealism of a Québécois mystic before facing one, final test of leadership. Culminating in an epic battle between good and evil, King learns that disappointment may be the defining characteristic of the twentieth century!

Director: Matthew Rankin
Screenwriter: Matthew Rankin
Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 20, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 9, 2020

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