A terrific movie. It is the blackest of comedies -- set in the midst of one of the two most horrific events in history, Stalin's purges. (The other would be the Cultural Revolution of Mao). The story revolves around a highly fictionalized account of Stalin's death and the maneuverings among the politburo that eventually led to Khrushchev's taking power.
At this point I have lost anyone under 40, possibly anyone under 50. That's OK, I understand it's ancient history to them. But these were household names way back when -- the leaders of the Soviet Union and some of the most monstrous people that ever lived (Stalin and Beria could put Hitler to shame).
Without taxing my memory too greatly, I think I can safely says this movie has the most skilfully developed "tone" I have ever seen. I would venture that "tone" may be the most difficult aspects of movie making, simply because so many movies fail in that department. Contrasting comedy/tragedy, light/dark, or love/hate and such gives a movie a sense of reality since that's how the world operates. Problems of tone occur when an incident sticks out and makes you go "huh?" When a character does something completely out of character or events take a turn that doesn't really flow from the previous events it can either bring an entirely new dimension to the movie, or it can stick out like a sore thumb. I don't know enough about filmmaking to know what will make or break "tone" -- I suspect acting skill, or at least casting skill, has a lot to do with it -- but I know if it fails or succeeds when I see it.
The Death of Stalin mixes horrific tragedy and broad farce so perfectly that for nearly the full running time, those two dramatic tenses are running simultaneously. It's really astonishing. And it fits because that is exactly what life was like for the players in the politburo. They had to behave like cartoon dictators while simultaneously fearing for their lives at every move. Imagine having to manufacture farcical rationale to defend comically ludicrous policies that both killed people by the thousands and potentially positioned you for mortal payback. This is the feeling the movie captures.
There is no shortage of stunning acting on display. Steve Buscemi dips into the well that served him in playing the lead on Boardwalk Empire so well. Simon Beale and Andrea Riseborough also stand out, but the entire cast nails it.
In the very end, the farce perfectly drains away and we are left with the horror. Absolutely one of the best movies I've seen in a while and better than pretty much every nominee for every best of 2018 award.
