Rumours (review) – cinema at its most imaginative, cutting, and bizarre

Rumours screened at BFI London Film Festival and is released in UK & Irish cinemas on December 6.

Over the past few days, politicians, policymakers and their aids have once again patted themselves on the back due to the text of yet another COP statement on commitments to our climate. However, behind the scenes, disagreements, divisions, and arguments over the direction of travel and the value of any pledges made have once again hindered progress. At the same time, in recent years, the United Nations has become little more than a talking shop and an observer of global atrocities, issuing statements that hold no weight and little influence in shaping global events. Anyone new to this planet would rightly wonder if the human race is capable of meaningful dialogue and change or if our politicians would be content to release a simple statement that means nothing, even in our darkest moments.

In fact, I would be willing to bet that even when the world finally burns, politicians will pontificate on the wording of a statement that basically says, “It’s all over; we fucked up.” In essence, that is what Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson’s hallucinogenic, colourful and cutting B-movie satire, Rumours, is all about – the inability of our political institutions and leaders to deliver anything beyond a soundbite.

During a G7 conference in a lavish hotel protected by hundreds of security personnel during a time of global turmoil, Western leaders have come together in a German forest to debate the content of another urgent statement on international affairs, designed to show solidarity rather than action. The German Chancellor is hosting the summit, played by the incredible Cate Blanchett, and in attendance is the pontificating French President (Denis Ménochet), the ageing and frankly disinterested U.S. President (Charles Dance) who also sports a British accent, Italy’s nervy new Prime Minister (Rolando Ravello), the quiet and sensitive Prime Minister of Japan (Takehiro Hira), the business-like British Prime Minister (Nikki Amuka-Bird) and finally the sex magnet Canadian Prime Minister (Roy Dupuis).

Their mission is clear as they sit in a newly built gazebo deep in the forest, one equipped with a chandelier, to light the wine, water and food that fills their dining table; they must write and agree on yet another statement. But as night falls, they find their wine glasses left empty as the forest descends into silence. Something strange has happened beyond the safety of their forest pavilion, and they appear to be the only humans left in a world none of them now recognise.  

From a giant brain in the woods to Iron Age bog people brought back to life and an AI chatbot designed to catch paedophiles, Rumours is the cinematic equivalent of Marmite. Like that yeast-based spread, Johnson, Johnson, and Maddin’s experience-driven slice of surrealist cinema will undoubtedly divide audiences, creating a love-it-or-hate-it response. But at its heart, Rumours is about the incompetence of leadership and the business-like approach all our world leaders now adopt. But Rumours isn’t just a damning indictment of world leadership or the distinct lack of it; it is also an indictment of our willingness to accept the status quo. Maybe we are no more than bog people to those in power until we rise up and demand something better.

Rumours is a giant, experimental, and creative cocktail of B-movie horror, melodrama, science fiction, and satire, held together by the performances of a truly brilliant cast. From Cate Blanchett’s managerial, sexy, and boardroom-savvy German Chancellor to Roy Dupuis’ chiselled Canadian Prime Minister, who hides deep insecurities and doubt beneath his rugged physique, and Denis Ménochet’s deep-thinking, poetic French President, every member of this delightful ensemble keeps your eyes glued to the screen as each surreal event unfolds. Rumours is a puzzle box movie that you’re not supposed to solve fully – a colourful and sharp slice of cinema at its most imaginative, cutting, and bizarre. Love it or hate it, you won’t forget it. Even if your initial response is dislike, I’d be willing to bet you will return to it at some point for another try.