The Twentieth Century (film)
| The Twentieth Century | |
|---|---|
Film poster | |
| Directed by | Matthew Rankin |
| Written by | Matthew Rankin |
| Produced by | Gabrielle Tougas-Fréchette Ménaïc Raoul |
| Starring | Dan Beirne Catherine St-Laurent Louis Negin Brent Skagford |
| Cinematography | Vincent Biron |
| Edited by | Matthew Rankin |
| Music by | Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux Peter Venne |
Production company | Voyelles Films |
| Distributed by | Oscilloscope Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
The Twentieth Century is a 2019 Canadian surrealist historical black comedy film written and directed by Matthew Rankin, in his feature directorial debut. The film presents a fictionalized portrait of the rise to power of former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, played by Dan Beirne. The film also star Catherine St-Laurent, Louis Negin and Seán Cullen.
The film is not a realistic or literally accurate depiction of Canadian history, instead mixing and matching elements of real history with invented fantasia in a stylized manner reminiscent of the films of Guy Maddin, and taking place largely on deliberately unrealistic sets influenced by German Expressionism, 1940s melodrama and wartime propaganda films. Rankin himself described it as "one part Canadian Heritage Minute and one part ayahuasca death trip".
The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, winning the award for Best Canadian First Feature Film. It received positive reviews from critics and won three Canadian Screen Awards out of eight nominations, including Best Motion Picture and Best Director.