The Trotsky (2009)

A Montreal high school student who believes he is the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky starts a revolution against apathy among his fellow students.

Director:

Jacob Tierney

Writer:

Jacob Tierney

Stars:

Liane Balaban, Jay Baruchel, Taylor Baruchel

9 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Liane Balaban	...	Nadza
Jay Baruchel	...	Leon Bronstein
Taylor Baruchel	...	School Girl #2
Dan Beirne	...	Dan (as Daniel Beirne)
Domini Blythe	...	Mrs. Davis
Jonathan Bosco	...	Horne (Kid in Costume)
Hélène Bourgeois Leclerc	...	Female Cop
Justin Bradley	...	Jimmy
Geneviève Bujold	...	Denise Archambault
Anne-Marie Cadieux	...	Anna Bronstein
Jesse Camacho	...	Skip
Cecile Cristobal	...	TV Reporter Haiyan Zhang
Darren Curtis	...	Taxi Driver
Paul Doucet	...	Male Cop
Guy Dufaux	...	Homeless Person

Storyline

Leon Bronstein is not your average Montreal West high school student. For one thing, none of his peers can claim to be the reincarnation of early 20th century Soviet iconoclast and Red Army hero, Leon Trotsky. When his father sends Leon to public school as punishment for starting a hunger strike at Papa's clothing factory, Leon quickly lends new meaning to the term 'student union', determined as he is to live out his pre-ordained destiny to the fullest and change the world.

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Plot Keywords:

school | student | high school | reincarnation | private school | 

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Taglines:

The revolution begins in high school

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English French Russian Hebrew German

Release Date:

5 May 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

High School Revolution

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 6,400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Park Ex Pictures, The Harold Greenberg Fund

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The sign outside the school board building indicates that it's the "J. Parizeau English School Board", a deliberately-ludicrous name choice since Jacques Parizeau was a famous Québec sovereigntist, and a supporter of the provincial legislation that restricts access to English-language public schools.

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Quotes

Leon: Was that it?
Sarah Bronstein: We had six hours notice, Leon.

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Crazy Credits

After credits a usually confused Leon is seen walking up to a bench and sitting on it in a jump suit.

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Connections

References Land and Freedom (1995)

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Soundtracks

Americanarama
Written by Menno Versteeg, Nick Boyd, Jake Boyd, Dean Baxter
Performed by Hollerado
Courtesy of Hollerado and Royal Mountain Music

User Reviews

Boredom or Apathy?

The Trotsky is a teen-comedy with a hint of Goodbye Lenin's political satire and Charlie Bartlett's humour/plot. Although some of the acting seems mediocre, I enjoyed the film.

You don't need to understand the biography of Leon Trotsky, it explains it in a subtle way that is enough to enjoy the film, but doing research beforehand might be a decent idea.

Don't take this film too seriously, just enjoy it for what it is. It isn't like a normal film, it's sort of a modern teen-comedy about revolting against injustice, although the injustice is rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Well-done, worth watching, but only if you have an open mind and enjoy quirky films about adolescent injustice.