The Death of Stalin

Join us at the Underground Cinema by WVIFF for May's feature film: The Death of Stalin 

About the film:

When tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin dies in 1953, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to become the next Soviet leader. Among the contenders are the dweebish Georgy Malenkov, the wily Nikita Khrushchev and Lavrenti Beria -- the sadistic secret police chief. As they bumble, brawl and back-stab their way to the top, the question remains -- just who is running the government?

What the critics are saying:

Armando Iannucci, a virtuoso of political evisceration, turns horror into comedy in this eccentric comic shocker about a strong man and his world of ashes and blood. Full review

Manohla Dargis
The NYTimes

It is a precarious balancing act that Iannucci has undertaken here, and it is mostly, though not always, wickedly (in every sense of the word) funny. Full review

Christopher Orr
The Atlantic

This is a frequently amazing, head-spinning, tragic farce that somehow manages to balance violent, stressful paranoia with absurd comedy. Full review

Michael Ordona
Common Sense Media