SPOTLIGHT FILMS: The Trotsky
By Contributor
Jacob Tierney’s hilarious The Trotsky that follows the story of Leon Bronstein (the phenomenal Jay Baruchel in a star-making performance), a precocious Montreal teen who fervently believes himself to be the reincarnation of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky will be playing in Grand Forks courtesy of Spotlight Films. Leon is determined to duplicate every aspect of Trotsky’s life, including being exiled, at least twice, and ultimately assassinated. His most pressing issues right now, though, are finding his Lenin and an older wife, preferably named Alexandra. When Leon tries to unionize his father’s factory after working there for less than twenty-four hours, he’s punished by having funds cut off for the ritzy private school he’s been attending. Forced to enrol in a public high school, Leon finds his revolutionary zeal immediately tested when he meets the crusty, dictatorial Principal Berkhoff (Colm Feore) and his henchwoman, Mrs. Davis (Domini Blythe). Do the students he’s desperately trying to organize genuinely care about their lot in life? Or, as Berkhoff maintains, are they just apathetic? Baruchel, whose previous film credits include Tropic Thunder and Million Dollar Baby, gives Leon just the right mixture of hysteria and adolescent angst. Also included in the cast are Emily Hampshire as Alexandra Leith and Genevieve Bujold as Denise Archambault. Spotlight Films will be presenting The Trotsky, possibly the most intriguing creation in recent English Canadian cinema this film won the Audience Awards for Tierney at the Atlantic Film Festival, Halifax, the Sofia International Film Festival and the Tokyo International Film Festival and was nominated for the Grand Prix Award at the Tokyo International. This film will be shown at the Gem theatre 7:30 pm Tuesday June 29. Once again Spotlight Films would like to thank our sponsors and, you, our patrons for your support and valuable input.
