The leaders of seven wealthy democracies get lost in the woods while drafting a statement on a global crisis, facing danger as they attempt to find their way out.

‘Rumours’ is a political satire cum horror comedy that uses a meeting of the G7 leaders as the basis for a story that explores the complex and intertwining links between their countries and their own personal relationships. For anyone with a loose awareness of global politics, you’ll be aware that G7 meetings involve the leaders of the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan gathering together, usually at some luxurious country retreat, to discuss putting the world to rights. Joint statements will be signed, lofty promises and ambitions will be made, all of which will likely be forgotten by the time the next meeting comes round. Cynical? Oh not I….

‘Rumours’ has fun with this premise and uses the setting as a baseline to explore the personal anxieties of the various leaders, while also poking fun at the absurdities of the conventions and habits of this group. It has an impressive cast led by Cate Blanchett as the German leader and host Hilda Ortmann, with Charles Dance (as the American president; no attempt to change his accent), Nikki Amuka-Bird, Denis Ménochet, Roy Dupuis, Rolando Ravello and Takehiro Hira, making up the rest of the leaders. It is strongest at the beginning when it sits firmly in the political satire realm, and I felt it weakened as it leant into the horror aspects of its premise, and to be honest it lost me quite a bit before the end.

That said, ‘Rumours’ is certainly something different, and is deft at showing what we all know by now in that most leaders are not too different from you and I, and a crisis situation does not always bring out the best of them. A bit of an oddity and I expect it’ll be loved and hated in equal measures – for me, I’ll take the very political option of sitting on the fence!

Rating: 3/5

Directed By: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Charles Dance, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Denis Ménochet, Roy Dupuis, Takehiro Hira, Rolando Ravello, Zlatko Burić and Alicia Vikander

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt30841606/