Leon Bronstein (Jay Baruchel) thinks he is the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky. He is searching for his Vladimir Ulyanov (Bronstein and Ulyanov were the original last names of Trotsky and Lenin). Leon meets an older woman Alexandra (Emily Hampshire), to whom he immediately pledges his love (Alexandra was Trotsky's older wife).
Leon tries to organise a union in his father's (Saul Rubinek) business. His father takes him out of private school and forces Leon to go to a public school, Montréal West high school. Leon wants to organise a union at his new school, against the wishes of his principal (Colm Feore) and vice-principal (Domini Blythe).
Jacob Tierney, also known for Good Neighbours and Letterkenny, brings us a comedy with a touch of history. A silly story yet with touches of reality and a bit of history. The joy of the film is that everyone is in on the fun of the story, no matter where they fall within the film.
Geneviève Bujold is delightful as the school board leader Denise Archambault. American actor Michael Murphy, who has done a few Canadian films, plays Leon's mentor Frank McGovern and Denise's ex-husband.
Anne-Marie Cadieux is funny as Leon's shiksa stepmother. Jessica Paré as Laura, Alexandra's friend; Kaniehtiio Horn as Caroline, Leon's school friend; and Tommie-Amber Pirie as Sarah, Leon's younger sister -- they stand out in smaller roles.
Ben Mulroney has a cameo as himself, interviewing Leon Bronstein on eTalk.
Bronstein is 17 in the film, an age where a lot of Montréal students are in CEGEP, kind of the transition between high school and university. CEGEP applies more to French students than English students, so this is not a mistake in the film. Like in Good Neighbours, Tierney's world for The Trotsky is the west side of Montréal, the anglophone part.
Checking out the 23 best Canadian film comedies
The Trotsky is a clever comedy and should have been on this list of Canadian film comedies. While I enjoyed BlackBerry, The Trotsky has more laughs.
The chemistry is wonderful all around with the cast. A film you can watch more than once.
Canadian film review: Good Neighbours
CanadianCrossing.com film reviews
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
The Trotsky made the TIFF Top Ten list of Canadian films for 2009. The film is available on several streaming services in the United States, including Peacock and Tubi.
video credit: YouTube/eOnefilms
photo credit: The Trotsky
Comments