The leaders of seven wealthy democracies get lost in the woods while drafting a statement on a global crisis, facing danger as they attempt to find their way out.
Chuck says:
What do you get when you take the leaders of the G7 nations, put them in the center of an apocalypse and abandon them to their own devices, not an aide or press secretary in sight? The answer is provided by “Rumours,” an end-of-the-world political satire from directors Evan and Galen Johnson and Guy Maddin that, in very broad strokes, points out just how out of touch are leaders are with reality. Of course, this is no great revelation but seeing these pompous presidents and prime ministers unravel before our eyes has its cathartic appeal, especially with the deft, comedic performances provided by the veteran actors who portray them.
Germany is the site of the latest G7 conference, Chancellor Hilda Orlmann (Cate Blanchett) an eager and gracious host. The President of the United States, Edison Wolcott (Charles Dance) exudes gravitas, while the Prime Minister of Italy, Antonio Lamorle (Roland Rovello), attending his first conference, is like a duck out of water. The tension between prime ministers Cardosa Dewindt (Nikki Amuka-Bird) and Maxine Laplace (Roy Dupuis), of the United Kingdom and Canada, respectively, is palpable. After a fling at the previous conference, she refused to take his calls. Very little diplomacy is happening there. Rounding out the group are the French president, Sylvain Broulez (Denis Menochet) and Prime Minister Tatsuro Iwasaki (Takehiro Hira) of Japan, both ensconced in their own little worlds of self-importance.
Gathering at a remote gazebo on Orlmann’s estate, the group sets out to write a statement regarding “the present crisis.” The crisis is never named, as it is of little importance. We know whatever they write will have no effect, their futility obvious to everyone but them. While engaged in this exercise, they slowly begin to notice hey’re assistants have gone missing, cellphone service is out, and there’s an ominous orange glow in the sky. Then there’s the matter of the inky black, zombie-like creatures they see shambling about. They’re up to no good. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention the brain they find in the forest, a brain as big as a car.
Logic has no bearing on any of this as the three directors use the broadest of strokes in painting this parody. Just what the oversized cerebrum represents is anyone’s guess, though I suspect it has something to do with how easily people are led astray by a radical, but empty ideology. Alicia Vikander showing up as president of the European Union, speaking in tongues after having come in contact with it, is a clue.
Much like the Julia Roberts’ feature from last year, “Leave the World Behind,” what causes the cataclysm in question means nothing. It’s how the characters react to it to it that’s the point. Initially stymied by paralysis due to over analysis, they ultimately make a statement filled with empty platitudes, they’re calls for action just so much hot air.
How the countries are portrayed via the actions of their leaders is telling as well. That the French president has to ultimately be carted around in a wheelbarrow by the heads of other nations is spot on, as is the behavior of Wolcott, the U.S. President, a sleepy old man past his prime, who speaks of past deeds but has little to offer.
The lacerating commentary continues to the very end, it slowly dawning on the leaders how ineffective they truly are. Obviously, “Rumours” is not for all tastes, yet its audacious approach proves refreshing and on point, the trio of filmmakers taking no prisons in calling out the charade that is international politics.
