Movie

The Twentieth Century

2019 · 90 min

A feverish, artificial nightmare of ambition and shame, staged like a demented school play with deadpan absurdity and unsettling imagery.

Directed by: Matthew Rankin
Genres: Comedy
Starring: Dan Beirne, Sarianne Cormier, Catherine St-Laurent

Tagline: Blistering shame! Unbridled passions! Pulse-quickening tribulation!
Overview: Toronto, Canada, 1899. William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874-1950) fervently believes that he is destined to become Prime Minister, but to do so he will first have to fight his personal obsessions and overcome the many obstacles he will encounter on his tortuous path to power.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: The Twentieth Century

In the USNot loaded yet.

Directed by: Matthew Rankin
Genres: Comedy
Starring: Dan Beirne, Sarianne Cormier, Catherine St-Laurent

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: absurdstrength 3 of 3
satiricalstrength 3 of 3
darkstrength 2 of 3
campystrength 2 of 3
Pacing: brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: ambition
obsession
power
identity
politics
Places: big city
single country house
Era: period
Audience: adult
Form: nonlinear
ensemble
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language strong
Violence mild
Sex strong

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	3
Horror	4
Humour	8
Realism	2
Romance	3
Tension	5
Darkness	7
Complexity	8
Emotional weight	6

Titles like The Twentieth Century

TV series

The Great

2020–2023

A wickedly funny, bitingly cynical costume drama that mixes palace intrigue with absurd humor and sudden violence.

Absurd, satirical, brisk · about ambition and power · ensemble

Via: absurd
satirical
ambition
power
ensemble
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 3

Details

The GreatHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney

2026

A wry, archival-rich remix that plays Canadian politics like a deadpan fever dream, dryly funny and quietly strange.

Same writer: Matthew Rankin · Absurd, satirical · about ambition and power

Also: Same writer: Matthew Rankin
Via: absurd
satirical
ambition
power
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 105 min

Details

Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian MulroneyHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Hi, Mom!

1970

A scattershot, confrontational satire that shifts from voyeuristic comedy to abrasive racial provocation, leaving you unsettled and amused in equal measure.

Absurd, satirical · about obsession and identity · nonlinear

Via: absurd
satirical
obsession
identity
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 87 min

Details

Hi, Mom!Hidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

2020

A gleefully offensive, cringe-inducing satire that provokes constant uncomfortable laughter while skewering American culture and politics.

Absurd, satirical, brisk · about identity and politics · nonlinear

Via: absurd
satirical
identity
politics
nonlinear
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 96 min

Details

Borat Subsequent MoviefilmHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

The Politician

2019–2020

A stylish, archly funny dive into ruthless ambition, mixing campy melodrama with sharp political satire.

Satirical, campy, brisk · about ambition and power · ensemble

Via: satirical
campy
ambition
power
ensemble
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 2

Details

The PoliticianHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

The Kids in the Hall

1989–1995

A rapid-fire parade of surreal, gender-bending sketches that keeps you off-balance, laughing at the sheer strangeness and the troupe's deadpan commitment.

Absurd, satirical, brisk · about identity · nonlinear