Satire or Farce? Both.

Rating: 8/10 (13 June 2018)

If one is even remotely familiar with the context of Stalin and his murderous regime this film does a superb job of making you forget the true nature of the characters at play, tricking you as if they were all bumbling buffoons just trying to survive Stalin as the rest of the USSR was.
This is the power of satire, wherein you must remind yourself periodically of how absurd the circumstances must have been and of the hopelessness that accompanied being swept up in events beyond your control.
As the stellar cast romps around it occurred to me that the star of the film was none other than Armando Ianucci, on whose name the film was being promoted. I am struggling to think of a contemporary for Ianucci, who must surely be alone as a writer who can carry a film in todays age of superhero nonsense. Deservedly so.
Each despicable character is in some way loveable and hilarious and there are a number of outstanding performances.
A work of art, but perhaps a bit short and could have easily been more complicated with Iannucci at the helm.
All in all a gem.