Sometimes, art is difficult to grasp. It doesn’t make it better or worse than more direct storytelling, it is simply different. Film is an oddity in this way. Are movies made for pure entertainment? Are they meant to spur deeper thought? Obviously, like with most things, the answer is “it depends.” No art form is a monolith. Stalker and Titanic are both technically the same art form, but they have vastly differing aims. Neither is better or worse, that is up to subjective opinion. All this to say, some films take a great deal more effort at the outset. Essentially, with these movies you have to say yes to the strange world that is being created, that or just walk away. Rumours absolutely falls in this category.
A little background is necessary before even beginning to discuss this in any kind of critical way. It takes place during a G7 summit. This consists of world leaders from Canada (Roy Dupuis), France (Denis Ménochet), Germany (Cate Blanchett), Italy (Rolando Ravello), Japan (Takehiro Hira), the United Kingdom (Nikki Amuka-Bird), and the United States (Charles Dance). As you can likely tell from that list of names, the first third of the movie is purposefully dry. It consists of the laying out of personal relationships between all of the countries, as well as introducing an archaeological dig site, which features a carcass that has had its penis severed and hung around its throat, possibly as a punishment. The deadpan nature of these discussions can be off-putting, especially if you don’t know quite what you’re getting into. But I promise you, if you say yes, the last half of the movie, especially, will reward you with a lot of head-shaking and actual laughs.
Credit: Bleecker Street
As the group attempts to meet in a gazebo on site, they also try to make a statement about an unnamed issue, but one that seemingly involves protesters, something they all want desperately to avoid. What is more entertaining, and important, is the well-crafted relationships between the seven of them (Canada is in love with basically any woman who appears, and is deeply dramatic about it) and the slow, strange reveal of a kind of zombie apocalypse featuring people who live in the swamps nearby. It is a sharply clever shot at the things that we think are important vanishing in the face of actual terror and problems. But, you know, they are government officials, so all of them are quite good at avoiding actual problems faced by the populace.
The film really picks up in the second half, when Celestine Sproul (Alicia Vikander), the Secretary-General of the European Commission (and yet another ex of Canada) appears and steals the show. As most of the performances are, the dialogue she engages in is purposefully understated, but she truly has some of the best lines of the entire film. But that is not to say that she is the only standout. Blanchett, no surprise, is note-perfect in her role as the German Chancellor. Her diction, especially, absolutely reads as a German speaker with practiced English. Also, watching her chase down Canada through the forest is wildly satisfying.
The film, expertly directed by Guy Maddin, along with Evan and Galen Johnson, will never hold your hand or explain anything to the audience. The same team is responsible for the script and this is really where its strength lies. They drop just enough important information throughout the first half in order to drop the hammer and deliver the awkward and intensely weird laughs as the film reaches its climax. I won’t ruin anything for you, but watching these self-important blowhards deliver an impassioned speech for no one who could possibly benefit will make the entire journey worth it.
Rumours is, no doubt, a strange movie. It is the definition of “this isn’t for everybody,” but I urge you to make the attempt to get on its level. Shockingly, there are lines embedded in the script that are destined (doomed?) to become a part of my own personal most quotable list. Maddin and his compatriots have created a truly original, funny, dark, rewarding gem.
Rumours will debut in theaters on October 18, 2024, courtesy of Bleecker Street.
Rumours is, no doubt, a strange movie. It is the definition of “this isn’t for everybody,” but I urge you to make the attempt to get on its level. Shockingly, there are lines embedded in the script that are destined (doomed?) to become a part of my own personal most quotable list. Maddin and his compatriots have created a truly original, funny, dark, rewarding gem.
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GVN Rating
Dave is a lifelong film fan who really got his start in the independent film heyday of the 90’s. Since then, he has tried to branch out into arthouse, international, and avant garde film. Despite that, he still enjoys a good romcom or action movie. His goal is to always expand his horizons, through writing and watching new movies.
