An unusual approach on terror

Rating: 8/10 (3 February 2018)

The way Iannucci approached that dismal period in history reminded me of "La vita e bella" by Bennini- a substantial amount of courage to put such a comedic spin on historical episodes considered among the most brutal.
As a person not old enough to have lived through it, but not young enough either to be ignorant about it, especially because I live in a country which was deeply involved in communist repression (Romania), I have to admit the film was refreshing. If one can't part with the terrible past laughing at it after so many years, then one might be condemned to repeat it, one way or another. Ok, the historical truth is distorted and reinterpreted, either in terms of chronological order, or social relations, but nobody claimed it is - or has to be- accurate in every respect. It's a work of art and as such it allows re-interpretations. The dialogues are often deeper than they sound, the background of many scenes is so carefully crafted and the balance between irony and sarcasm is finely preserved, not without tuches of macabre. Buscemi and Tambor deserve my praise among a cast which isn't lacking talent. A special mention to the final credits... Oh, that young Brezhnev behind Khruschev...