∇
troperville

∇
tools

∇
toys

Must be Monday. New podcast! Just click on the fancy logo below.

SubpagesFilm
Main

main index

Narrative

Genre

Media

Topical Tropes

Other Categories

random

Subpages:

The Trotsky

A 2009 Canadian film starring Jay Baruchel as Leon Bronstein, a high schooler who believes he is the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky-yes, that Leon Trotsky. After leading a remarkable unsuccessful hunger strike at his wealthy father (played by Saul Rubinek)'s factory, Leon transfers to the local public school and is shocked by the so-called injustices of the administration. He resolves to create a union and leads a ragtag team of students in accomplishing this goal, all while wooing a grad student named Alexandra, whom he believes he is fated to marry.

This film provides examples of:

Abomination Accusation Attack: "Are you going to be my Stalin, Dwight?"
Apathetic Students: Leon's biggest challenge is getting the students to come together.
Badass Bookworm
Beware The Cute Ones: Leon and the students. While at first their demands seem relatively harmless they eventually kidnap and take the principal hostage.
Butt Monkey: Everyone hates Dwight. When the students finally get organized to protest the school's administration, one of them is holding a sign that reads: "Down with Dwight".
Cool Loser: Both of Leon's friends in the student union. Leon himself could qualify but is visibly crazy enough to justify his isolation in the beginning.
Fridge Brilliance: Skip shows up to the Social Justice dance dressed as Don Quixote. His armor is made mostly out of kitchen utensils.
Godwin's Law: Leon's sharp tongue is featured quite heavily in the movie. He questions why the school administration isn't wearing brown shirts at least once.
- Leon's sister calls their father a Nazi.
He Is Not My Boyfriend: How Alexandra reacts when people (even jokingly) call Leon her boyfriend. Since Leon believes they are fated to marry, her reaction is somewhat unsurprising. She changes her mind.
High School Dance: The theme is "Social Justice", suggested by Leon. Students dressed as Black Panthers, Maoists, Biblical characters, and characters from Animal Farm are seen.
La R�sistance: What Leon wants to start.
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: It's never made clear whether or not Leon really is the reincarnation of Trotsky.
May-December Romance: Leon's relationship with grad student Alexandra.
Rousing Speech: Many
Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Leon's rants.
Shiksa Goddess: Leon's mom is not Jewish.
Soapbox Sadie: Leon can appear to be this at first, but later on it becomes clear he honestly cares about the cause.
Stalker with a Crush: Leon to Alexandra, possibly indicating Stalking Is Love.
Take That: A girl is kicked out of the above Social Justice Dance for dressing as Ayn Rand.
"This is a fascist-free zone, Dwight."
Strangled by the Red String: Alexandra, with Leon doing the strangling. Falling in love with your obsessive stalker with whom you spent, what, a couple of hours with at most? At best, they can double-date with Edward and Bella.
True Companions: The students fighting for the union and eventually the whole school (excluding, perhaps, Dwight)
Windmill Crusader: While the principal of the school is a jerk, he's certainly not the evil fascist Leon paints him as. The other students involved in the cause, however, are far more grounded in reality.