The G7. A group of the seven leading “democratic” nations. All are Western, except for Japan, and they represent 29 percent of the world’s economic production but only 9.6 percent of the population, at around 783 million people. The United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. They privately think of themselves as “masters of the universe,” but perhaps they are lesser beings as this dark comedy screams out.
As the G7 meets in an isolated estate in Germany, there is an international crisis brewing. Exactly what it is is never divulged, but it is serious, and the seven national leaders mean to issue a statement on the matter. After the obligatory photos are taken, the seven retreat to a pavilion on the estate for lunch and to begin drafting their statement.
Lunch goes well, but the process of the statement does not. The US President (Charles Dance – “Frankenstein”) falls asleep in mid sentence, then mutters in his sleep. The PM of Italy (Rolando Ravello – “Rossosperanza”) takes down every word. An uneasy sexual tension exists between the Canadian PM (Roy Dupuis – “Inez”), the British PM (Nikki Amuka-Bird – “Here”) and the German Chancellor (Cate Blanchett – “Borderlands”), preventing them from working. Finally, the French President (Denis Menochet -”The Beasts”) and the Japanese PM (Takehiro Hira – “Rental Family”) seem to be making progress – writing down cliches.
Oh, did I forget to mention that, on their way to the pavilion, the German Chancellor unveils a surprise: the bodies of 2000 year old “bog people,” beautifully preserved, have been found on the estate? They view one, and then line up for a photo with each holding a shovel, as if they’d personally had a hand in the discovery.
Back to the pavilion. As the afternoon wears on, the US President suddenly wakes, assuming all the work on the statement of concern has been done in his sleep. No such luck. Even worse, the wine is running low and when the servants are summoned, no one comes.
Writers/Directors Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson (“The Green Fog”) have produced a mysterious sendup of the political elites that run our world, making them arrogant, self congratulatory, and totally inept. He even goes so far as to compare them to a group of iron age primitives gathered together for a ritual “circle jerk.”
The humor here is subtle and there are a number of political jabs, but the overall impression is one of depressing confirmation of our worst fears about the people who lead us – especially those supposedly elected by us through the democratic process.
Runtime: One hour, 44 minutes
Availability: Streaming or available to rent or buy on Paramount+ and Prime Video
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