The Twentieth Century review – Canadian satire dials up the quirk

Pompous political history is rewritten in surreal style under the rule of avant garde director Matthew Rankin

Matthew Rankin is an experimental Canadian film-maker now presenting his debut feature, and the director he most obviously resembles is the silent-movie pasticheur Guy Maddin - a comparison some will find intriguing and others heart-sinking. For me, it's somehow both. But there are interesting signs that Rankin has something Maddin does not: a sense of humour. We get one or two actual laughs.

Related: 52 perfect comfort films - to watch again and again