THE TROTSKI

Leon, the teen progeny of a wealthy Montreal family, likes to think of himself as the reincarnation of the revolutionary Marxist intellectual Leon Trotsky. His name is the obvious link, while the to-do list hanging in his bedroom includes items like "Be exiled (twice)", "Marry an older woman (preferably named Alexandra)" and "Be murdered (in a warm place)". One day Leon decides to put his ideas into action by instigating a hunger strike in his father's clothing factory and promptly ends up in government school as punishment. Undeterred, the budding communist turns his revolutionary attention to his blasé classmates and tries to inspire them into collective action - a concept hitherto unfamiliar to most of them. Mixing inside jokes, cinematic references and a healthy revolutionary air, "The Trotsky" is one of those rare films that achieves what many try to do and fail: striking a wise balance between unforced laughter and substance.