Kate Winslet stars as Elena in The Regime, a dictator of a small country somewhere in the middle of Europe.
Kate Winslet stars as Elena in The Regime, a dictator of a small country somewhere in the middle of Europe.
Review by Karl Puschmann
Karl Puschmann is Culture and entertainment writer for the New Zealand Herald. His fascination lies in finding out what drives and inspires creative people.
Dark new political satire The Regime takes potshots at all dictators, with Kate Winslet leading the show.
At this point in history, you’ve hopefully noticed all dictators and wannabe dictators are completely nuts. There’s not a sane one amongst the lot of them. Aside from being power-crazed and notorious for having the temperament and demeanour of aggravated baboons, dictators also tend to make incredibly strange personal choices.
Whether it’s sporting an utterly ridiculous moustache, stepping out with a bonkers haircut or living their life with an orange face, there’s just something inherently off about authoritarians. You wouldn’t want to sit and have a beer with any of them.
Just to be clear, these people are detestable, villainous and without redemption. If they weren’t evil they’d be cartoonish. Take away all the misery and suffering dictators cause and you’re left with a person who is not much more than a parody of themselves. They hardly need to be exaggerated for fictional purposes.
This is why the entertainment that takes aim at them tends to be satirical rather than broad. Personality-wise, dictators are plenty foolish enough. There’s no need to go over the top with it to make a point.
Neon’s new dark political satire The Regime is the latest example. In the series, which begins streaming on Monday, Kate Winslet stars as Elena, a dictator of a small country somewhere in the middle of Europe.
Elena has quirks of personality - like a crazed obsession with mould.
Like all authoritarians she has, shall we say, quirks of personality. Her foibles include a crazed obsession with mould that sees her installing dehumidifiers in every room of the grand hotel she has seized as her personal residence, regularly sanitising the entire place and employing a person to follow her everywhere with a mould-detecting gizmo lest she step into a room with an unacceptably high moisture rating.
Her fate, and the fate of the nation under her control, gets turned upside-down when she drafts in a new person to fill this role. How the vacancy came up is only violently alluded to. She hand-picks a corporal named Herbert for the position. He came to her attention after gaining infamy by opening fire on peaceful protestors. His nickname “The Butcher” obviously appealed to her cold-hearted streak.
Another of Elena’s toxic traits, aside from the whole dictatorship thing, is that she’s prone to infatuations. To the relief of her aides and advisers, these are usually short-lived. However, when Herbert comes on the scene, the pair develop a sort of psychosexual attraction that sees him quickly promoted from mould guy to de facto second-in-command.
Plagued by guilt, trauma, mental health problems and a staunch belief in the nation’s “old ways” — including the healing powers of steamed potatoes — he’s not the sort of person who should be anywhere near the levers of power.
But then again, neither should Elena. Or any other dictator for that matter. The people who crave power most are generally the least suited for it.
Herbert's nickname "The Butcher" appealed to Elena's cold-hearted streak.
But to Elena, he represents “the people”. When he tells her they think she is weak for making trade deals with America, or that resentment is bubbling over how their proud country is being laughed at by bigger nations, she believes him. Not least because it appeals to her fascist tendencies, which she hides under the veneer of democracy.
Soon enough formerly trusted friends, aides and allies are being arrested and carted away as Herbert’s influence grows. Which, in turn, has her surviving Cabinet fretting for their own safety. Within the sanitised walls of her compound, plots begin to take shape.
The Regime doesn’t eviscerate any one dictator. It instead takes potshots at all of them. Elena displays traits and actions you’ll recognise from any number of heinous people. While this gives Winslet ample room to work out her considerable acting chops, it does weaken its satire.
The show is clearly influenced by the work of the great Armando Iannucci, whose pointed political satire has been razor-sharp in brilliant shows like The Thick of It and Veep and the feature film The Death of Stalin. The Regime attempts his trademark rapid-fire dialogue but doesn’t hit with the same pinpoint accuracy.
Winslet, of course, is extraordinary as Elena. The show is packed with great performances and strong talent, but she captivates as the deluded dictator. She is both funny and terrifying.
The first episode is very much set-up, but stick with it — it ramps up after that as it settles in and finds its groove. It’s dark and compelling viewing and frequently analogous to the real world. The Regime could indeed have packed a few more gags into each episode but, when you get down to it, there’s nothing remotely funny about dictators.
