Your
guide in English to films showing in Germany.
Opening 15 May 2025
Directed by:
Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson, Guy Maddin
Writing credits:
Evan Johnson, Guy Maddin, Galen Johnson
Principal actors:
Cate Blanchett, Roy Dupuis, Denis Menochet, Charles Dance, Nikki Amuka-Bird
Founded in 1975, since the mid-1980s Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, United States, and the United Kingdom’s leaders use these intergovernmental political and economic forums to discuss and find solutions to global issues. This is one such instance.
The Group of Seven (G7) in attendance for this emergency meeting at the Chateau in Dankerode, Germany, is the country’s Chancellor Hilda Ortmann (Cate Blanchett), US President Edison Wolcott (Charles Dance), Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Maxime Laplace (Roy Dupuis), France’s President Sylvain Broulez (Denis Ménochet), UK PM Cardosa Dewindt (Nikki Amuka-Bird), Italian PM Antonio Lamorte (Rolando Ravello), and Japan’s PM Tatsuro Iwasaki (Takehiro Hira). Strolling to the gazebo where they will initiate writing their joint statement to curb the current crisis, the old friends bring one another up to date with the state of things. The UK’s PM Dewindt chides Canadian PM Laplace, “This isn’t exactly summer camp.” Pausing, Hilde’s “bog surprise” draws mixed reactions. At the gazebo a sumptuous lunch accompanied by wines is first served. Caught daydreaming, Maxime huffs away; Hilda, up-to-date with Canada’s current events, informs the others. Teams are formed, work begins, and audiences are privy to their thought processing. A gust of wind sends France’s Sylvain scampering after his and Japan’s Tatsuro’s notes; Italy’s Antonio frantically jots down the dozing US’s Edison’s sotto voce mumblings. From this point onward nothing is quite normal and the group struggles, encountering inexplicit climate challenges and decaying appendages before finding their cohorts. The President of the European Commission (Alicia Vikander) rummages in the forest, while the President of the European Council (Zlatko Burić) is detained at the Chateau, “Alice has the power now.”
Three Canadian writers-directors, Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson, are at the heart of this genre-defying, analogy laden film sating everyone’s taste, and no one’s. Horror (think Zombie), comedy, high drama, thriller, sci-fi (wait for it), historical (the Maastricht Treaty and more)—this mix of genres and temperate, dispassionate dialogue results in Rumours’ satirizing inoffensive mockery. Production values are coordinated for maximum effect: Stefan Ciupek cinematography, Kristian Eidnes Andersen score, and John Gurdebeke, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson editing. Rumours’ stinging, razor sharp panoply of politicians’ characterizations cuts deeply delivering myriads of interpretations. Obviously not a film for everyone’s taste. Following its auspicious premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, 2024, the film’s theme comes to fruition, perhaps sooner than expected. (Marinell Haegelin)
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