The Trotzky

Director: Jacob Tierney

Writer: Jacob Tierney

Starring: Jay Baruchel

Release Date: May 14, 2010

Length: 2 hours

17 year-old, Jewish, private school student, Leon Bronstein believes he is the reincarnation of Russian revolutionary, Leon Trotzky. If you are a teenager, you’re thinking, who on earth is that, and, if you are an adult, you might be thinking, this is going to be interesting. Writer/director Jacob Tierney gives us one of the most clever, hysterical, down to earth, teen movies that I’ve ever seen. Believing himself to be the reincarnation of Trotzky, Leon has already set out his life to be exactly as his, which requires marrying an older woman named Alexandra, getting exiled, and eventually being assassinated. So, Leon stages hunger strikes all over his city of Montreal, for about everything he can think of. When his acts of defiance tend to be more attention seeking than efficient, his father decides to put him in a place that will wake him up…public school. When he get’s there and realizes the place is run by adults who don’t give a crap about teenagers, Leon decides to fight for a union for students and starts a tiny revolution within his high school. As a teenager, (I’m not completely ashamed to say that) I’m no expert in historical Russian politics, which made me hesitate to see this film. I couldn’t decide if this film was going to be a smart teen comedy or an adult comedy that had a setting in high school. It ended up being a mix of the two because the humor is so original, anyone of any age could enjoy it. Not only is this whole film filled with laughs created by Tierney, but the whole premise of the film, that we are reminded of throughout, is enough to guarantee consecutive laughter. Tierney creates one of the most original, hilarious, deep characters that carries the movie so beautifully and Baruchel performs that character as if he created it himself. Although, Baruchel has never played such a complex character before, Tierney couldn’t have chosen anyone more perfect for the role of Leon. The Trotzky is definitely a character driven movie. What I love about The Trotzky is that it is a Canadian movie that’s not trying to mask anything. It doesn’t take place in some small town or unknown city to avoid the fact that this is a Canadian film. It takes place in West Montreal, where Leon’s brought up in a rich, Jewish home. The Trotzky is one of those rare movies that you can’t get off your mind for days. Whether you are an adult or teenager, you will appreciate everything about this film. I enjoyed The Trotzky so much, I almost forgot it was Canadian.