Excellent but underrated film

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Boredom and Apathy - that is what this movie is all about. (In my opinion) The lead character Leon and his Trotsky obsession are actually symbolic of leadership. Trotsky dealt with apathy and boredom but found his means to manifest the phenomena of the Russian revolution. Leon must deal with apathy and boredom but will he become a leader?The Odessa Steps dream sequences are a delightful and comical look into Leons head. The movie is worth seeing just for this!I greatly enjoyed the skillful performances from each character. Their dialog is top notch and the director pulls this 'Trotsky' idea together nicely.What is the fate of Leon - we will never know.

This film is about a seventeen-year-old high school student who believes himself to be the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky."The Trotsky" is a politically oriented film that details the journey of a young man who campaigns for social justice. Though the plot is fairly captivating, I find Leon's appearance incongruent with his character. He looks more like a socially inept nerd.Another thing that bugs me is his belief that he is the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky. If Leon did not have such a belief, then I would have admired his righteousness and drive for social justice. With that belief, I have constant doubts whether he acted purely for the admirable cause, or for his delusional belief. Believing in himself being the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky is a delusion, and him acting out on his delusion makes him certifiably insane.

I enjoyed The Trotsky, most of it anyway. I liked the fact that it doesn't take its audience as complete illiterate and assumes that you would catch some of the historic references. I prefer that than having everything spelled out for me. Jay Baruchel is just creepy enough, without becoming really scary in his obsession with being the real Leon Trotsky. I was rather uncomfortable with the relationship with Alexandra; that was one of the drawbacks of the movie. I loved the portrayal of Montreal with the English and the French intermingling in conversation and everyday life - even if it's not at all the main point of the movie. My main critic would go to Geneviève Bujold, who plays a commissioner of the school board, or something like that. I don't think I've ever seen such overacting before. She was awful. I always heard people say how she was a great actress, well, I did not see that here. I could not stop thinking how bad she was every time she was opening her mouth. Even every gesture she was making was over the top. Anyways, she doesn't have a huge role, so it didn't really spoil the movie. All in all, I enjoyed it and I would see it again.

Leon Bronstein is a young man who thinks he's the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky and he lives his life according to the way Trotsky lived by using his life as blueprint. Along the way he annoys his parents (he calls his dad a fascist) and takes on his school. Along the way he falls in love with an older woman, reawakens the drive of a radical lawyer and sparks his fellow schoolmates to get involved.I saw this on the Tribeca Pay per view service. I was amused, and slightly disappointed. Its has some good performances, some great dialog and very strong sense of self. The trouble is that the film as a whole is very much like the main character, insisting on following a redetermined course as closely as possible. Yes there are small bits that break the mold, but for the most part the film follows a formula its already worked out. I hated that I could guess where it was going, it took the edge off the spontaneity.Its a good film but I wanted to like it more. Its one of those really good films that just misses being great and ends up being disappointing.Worth a look see on cable or as a rental.(A side note the film follows points of Trotsky's life so much that part of me kept wondering if this was going to end as Trotsky did, however this is a feel good film and that was never going to happen)