The Death of Stalin follows the power struggles between the members of the Central Committee after the death of Joseph Stalin. After Stalin’s death, the Committee members continually posture to take the seat as General Secretary and fill the power void that Stalin left behind, all while carrying out the funeral arrangements of their “beloved” leader. The main conflict is between Beria (Simon Russell) and Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi) who are trying to manipulate the acting General Secretary Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor) into getting rid of the other to better their chances of becoming General Secretary in the future.
The Death of Stalin is filled with chaos from the very first scene which makes you feel the struggle between characters as they are trying to screw each other over while simultaneously covering their tracks. It is a lesson in passive aggressiveness, manipulation, and of course betrayal. From the second Beria finds out that Stalin is dead (he is the first to show up) he starts searching the dacha for dirt on the other committee members to gain the upper hand. This kind of mental chess escalates throughout the movie, with Beria and Khrushchev always being one step behind one another up till the bitter end.
The chaos always allows for some really great comedy as Beria and Khrushchev fight to gain control of the committee and especially Malenkov. Khrushchev gets stuck planning the menial details of the funeral while he’s also trying to plot his next move against Beria, so it’s high profile decisions of betrayal interjected with planners asking about floral colors. There’s also a movie long ongoing joke about recreating a famous picture of Stalin with a little girl waving to the crowd down below his balcony, which was really funny to keep being reminded of. As dark as the content of the movie actually is, it is undercut by how funny watching the characters bumble around and while trying to get steps ahead of the other. There are also people on the committee that are oblivious of the power struggle going on and are often used as pawns without their knowing, or probably even caring.
The pace of the film is just like Iannucci’s Veep as well, never giving you a second to breathe or catch up. Just like the characters in the movie, you have to constantly be taking in the new information and processing it while ten other things are happening as well. This keeps you in the manic state that the characters feel and really helps you to fully immerse yourself in what living in Soviet Russia must have been like, especially after the death of their leader.
I really loved this movie and I would highly recommend checking it out. It is extremely funny and dark, and it will keep you on your toes the whole time. The cast knocks it out of the park and keeps you immersed in the chaotic world that they all inhabit from beginning to end with no reprieve.
