Rumours is at times the dryest and others the most absurd comedy movie of the year. The film centers around seven world leaders from powerful countries convening in Germany for the ever-important G7 summit. Their major task, writing a statement on how productive their weekend has been. It becomes clear early on that the group is not cut out for, nor interested in their demanding task. Instead, they gossip, flirt, and sip wine. It’s so much work that they barely notice the world around them burning to ash.

Rumours is a searing dig at political leaders that lacks any sort of subtlety. As the world around them descends further and deeper into chaos, our seven heroes are powerless to come up with any sort of meaningful resolve. The end of the world is never explained, but the incompetence of our leaders is on full display.

The G7 Summit

The G7, a real conference that exists annually for the world’s 7 most powerful leaders, is the backdrop for Rumours. The film begins by introducing us to each world leader and then quickly getting them back to the task at hand. Writing a letter to the world about how important they are. They intend to write this letter under a gorgeous gazebo by a serene lake. A working lunch they call it, which quickly turns into a drinking lunch where little work is actually finished.

A few standouts of the cast are Cate Blanchett as the Chancellor of Germany and Roy Dupuis as the Canadian Prime Minister. Blanchett gives an incredibly dry-humored performance, feeling out of touch with even her fellow world leaders. Dupuis on the other hand plays a younger philandering world leader more concerned with mending his ego than tending to his governal duties. Each leader is a caricature of alienated leadership. They ring bells to summon booze, shriek at the idea of protestors, and remain blissfully unaware of the horrors around them.

Leadership at its Finest

The gang eventually realizes something is amiss when their ever-beckoning servants are nowhere to be found. The wine is gone, the task is partially completed, and no one is around to refill their glasses. If it was evident before it becomes painfully obvious to the audience that this group of leaders is not at all cutout for real-world survival. The film continues to toy with these ideas playing off themes from films like A Triangle of Sadness to show how the wealthy become painfully out of touch and reliant on their subjugates.

Rumours essentially puts the world’s most powerful leaders in a horror movie. One where neither the audience nor the characters know exactly what is going on. There are undead “bogmen”, a giant brain, and a destructive AI but it’s never made clear which entity is bringing about the world’s impending doom. It’s here where the film will likely lose audiences not familiar with Guy Maddin’s work. Rumours is more concerned with imagery and themes than creating a cohesive narrative. The point isn’t which nuclear-level threat ultimately ends the world. The point is that our world leaders have all the pieces of the puzzle, but can’t begin to create a solution.

The AI and The Brain

Even though none of the threats lead to a logical resolution, Maddin and his writing team of Evan and Galen Johnson sure have fun with them. At one point we learn about an AI created to text supposed predators. Naturally, it derives that Maxine Laplace, the flirtatious scandal embroiled Canadian Prime Minister, is an existential threat to vulnerable children. Humorously the group struggles to figure out if the texting AI is just an AI or a real little girl. Leading the Prime Minister to try and flirt but not get arrested by a predator-snatching AI.

I’m not too bold to avoid admitting when I don’t fully understand a film and Rumours is just a bit outside of my grasp. The themes are clearly there and I’m certain there is a concrete answer to the world’s impending doom. It may be the bog people rising from the dead to take over their leaders or it could be the AI wreaking havoc on a world of predators. Either way, the theme is abundantly clear. Our leaders are borderline worthless and spend too much time working on useless statements than doing actual work.

It’s The End of the World as we Know It

Rumours certainly won’t be for everyone. It has bits of great comedy but other jokes that land too dry and too infrequent. There are interesting themes at play but they wear out their welcome pretty quickly. By the middle of the film, the G7 leader’s incompetence has become exhausting and there is no one interesting to root for. This film lacks any sort of relatable hero and while that’s the point, it also makes watching this group of bafoons for two hours a tough sell.

This film would have worked a lot better as a short or even an SNL sketch. There are some great ideas, and flawless execution from talented actors, but the premise is hard to sustain for a full feature. It’s an incredibly niche film. One that surely a strong audience exists for. But if watching the most powerful people in the world sniff their own farts for two hours doesn’t sound appealing, Rumours won’t be for you.