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Traditionally in cinema, whenever a group of people find themselves stranded together in the middle of nowhere, it usually precedes them being stalked and slaughtered by a vicious serial killer or some other sinister figure intent on murdering them one by one. With Rumours, however, things play out markedly different, in director Guy Maddin's wry and ridiculous take on what happens when the world's top leaders gather to discuss a solution to a pressing yet unnamed crisis — only to find themselves faced with a mysterious threat that seems too fantastical to be real and too dangerous to ignore. The place is Dankerode, Germany, and the setting is the G7 Summit, where the President of the United States (Charles Dance), the Prime Minister of Canada (Roy Dupuis), the Chancellor of Germany (Cate Blanchett), the Prime Minister of Britain (Nikki Amuka-Bird), the President of France (Denis Ménochet), the Prime Minister of Japan (Takehiro Hira) and the Prime Minister of Italy (Rolando Ravello) have gathered at a chateau in the forests surrounding the village to draft a provisional statement addressing said crisis. With its scenic, lakeside view and the peaceful solitude of nature at their doorstep, it's the perfect location for them to brainstorm a proposed solution to the dilemma plaguing their democracies. But when the 2,000-year-old inhabitants of the land they've convened on start rising up in apparent protest of their presence, it raises the question — can these dignitaries overcome their own personal issues and self-doubt to brainstorm a way out of their predicament? Throw in a literal giant brain poised to topple the planet's governments, and you can begin to fathom the absurdist comedy Maddin and co-writers/directors Evan and Galen Johnson are going for. Both a surreal social commentary and a satirical soap opera, Rumours won't be everyone's cup of tea. For audiences in the mood for a low-key parody of global politics, though, its subject matter might just be worth talking about. |
Rumours screens under the Special Presentations programme at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Its runtime is 1 hr. 43 min.
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