Armando Iannucci has forged a career out of delivering memorable political satires which manage to be uproariously funny, while quietly potent in the way they tackle the often nefarious nature of political power and bureaucracy, showcasing the way such power structures tend to be wielded by those with merciless ambitions for scoping society in the way they deem necessary. With The Death of Stalin, Iannucci has found his sacred cow, detailing the absurdities of the authoritarianism under Joseph Stalin, as his latest film chronicles the power vacuum left behind after Stalin's sudden death from a brain hemorrhage, when the high ranking administers of the communist party conspired amongst themselves in an attempt wield the centralized power of the state. Dealing with a regime which was responsible for the slaughter of millions of its own people, Iannucci's film is essentially "sometimes you have to laugh so you don't cry" in cinematic form, a witty, sharp comedy which manages to find the humor in abhorrent political violence, demonstrating the absurdities of having any type of central authority with such power over everyone else. Centralized power and totalitarian regimes attract those individuals who seek such control and power, and the way Iannucci's film manages to exhibit this absurdity of politics with witty dialogue and biting satire makes the whole experience highly enjoyable yet potent, showcasing the corrosive nature of authority during the reorganization of power under such a regime. Through the various individuals of the cabinet, who connive and conspire to stake out their new role, The Death of Stalin exposes how objective truth is often the enemy of authoritarian regimes, as the state itself must be absolute and infallible, having a rhetoric typically placated to theology, intent on leading the masses for the sake of the "motherland" or "the common good". By chronicling the aftermath of Stalin's death, Ianncci's film exhibits how often the winner of such political games are the ones most cutthroat in his ambitions cc: Stalin vs. Trotsky, as men who don't share this absolutist tendency- men who value empathy, individualism, and liberty- are often crushed by these nefarious individuals intoxicated by the promise of wielding such authority, no matter the moral implications. The Death of Stalin is a uproariously entertaining deconstruction of authority and central power, managing to detail a dark, violent regime through biting satire with profound results.
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June 2023
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