Kate Winslet has a lot of fun in strange, surreal and incoherent satire The Regime
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When you approach Elena Vernham, the erratic and increasingly unstable "chancellor" of an unnamed country somewhere in "Middle Europe", people will tell you quietly to avoid breathing her way, keep your composure, and control any urge to vomit. This is the counsel given to anyone who interacts with her in the surreal comedy TV series, The Regime, which is produced by Sky and HBO.
Kate Winslet's character, Vernham, in the show "The Regime", is depicted as a powerful leader with an array of intricate blonde hairpieces and a collection of striking bold-colored suits. She has a relaxed attitude regarding her citizens' personal freedoms but is very particular about keeping things clean due to her fear of germs. Vernham also suffers from some deep-seated emotional issues related to her father, who used to hold a position in a fringe right-wing political party, much like Marine Le Pen. However, he passed away due to a lung infection, and now his decomposing body is kept in a see-through casket beneath the palace, giving off a nightmarish vibe and resembling a mix between Lenin's Mausoleum and the glass case from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". At the start of the series, Vernham is exceedingly preoccupied with ridding her palace of toxic mould spores which she believes will ultimately lead to her demise.
Introducing Herbert Zubak, played by Matthias Schoenaerts, a soldier known as "The Butcher" for his violent response to a protest demanding improved conditions in a cobalt mine. Despite the country's dictatorial politics, it remains an attractive ally due to its status as a major cobalt exporter. Zubak's authoritarian tendencies catch the attention of Vernham, who promotes him to accompany her around the palace and detect mold using a humidity-monitoring device resembling a large metal detector. One of the chancellor's assistants compares the use of the device to a dog attempting to use a calculator.
In no time, Herbert and Elena (who strongly believes that she has already encountered the soldier in her dreams) become closely linked in a mutually beneficial relationship. Elena trusts Herbert's strenuous exercises, questionable political proposals and unconventional remedies – such as her brief fixation with the medicinal properties of potatoes, which are stacked up abundantly in bowls all over the palace. Furthermore, Elena, who is a hypochondriac, eagerly follows Herbert's future notions.
If what you just read seems a bit crazy, that's because it is. The initial advertising for this six-part series implied it would be a cross between Armando Iannucci's film The Death of Stalin, which features exaggerated characters and scathing ridicule, and Succession, for which Will Tracy worked on the writing team for Jesse Armstrong's drama (he also helped write the 2022 film The Menu, which starred Ralph Fiennes as a menacing celebrity chef). However, The Regime is much more surreal and bizarre, as it fully embraces absurdism. Thanks to the visually stunning direction of Stephen Frears and Jessica Hobbs, as well as Alexandre Desplat's (The Grand Budapest Hotel) discordant and jovial soundtrack, we are reminded that this is all supposed to be a comedy. However, The Regime often feels like a disjointed collection of big ideas that don't quite come together.
After creating heavier content for many years, such as her recent show on HBO titled "Mare of Easttown", Winslet is now embracing a silly character that is a complete joy to watch. In this new role, Elena refers to her fans as "my loves" and speaks in a childish tone that sometimes has a slight lisp, much like Julianne Moore in the movie May December. During important events, Elena sings the 1976 power ballad "If You Leave Me Now" by Chicago, adding in strange spoken-word parts that make her seem like a bad cruise ship performer. Elena also refuses to serve salmon at these events, as she thinks it is too timid. It's anyone's guess how she feels about veganism. Meanwhile, Elena's trusted assistant, Agnes, portrayed by Andrea Riseborough, looks on with raised eyebrows and expertly shuts down her boss with quick and witty comments when she's not around.
In Vernham's made-up nation, the leader's personality cult is prominent, along with her practice of incarcerating her opponents. In a subsequent season, actor Hugh Grant plays the role of a left-leaning former chancellor who is now imprisoned in the palace. Nevertheless, even with Kate Winslet's noteworthy performance, the program fails to maintain its momentum. The humor is scarce, and certain peculiar elements to the plot don't quite manage to form a complete joke, relying too heavily on nonsense and sight gags. Additionally, the show seems undecided regarding what it wishes to satirize, instead using broad strokes (i.e. Dictators are bad! Look at Elena seated at an absurdly lengthy table - she's similar to Putin!). Despite Winslet's off-center charm, it's insufficient to engender a sense of loyalty.
