Live from TIFF: My Winnipeg
My Winnipeg ****
Directed by Guy Maddin
90 Minutes
I love Guy Maddin. The Canadian film maker is a visual artist, always having us look at such unusual images and photography. I loved his last film 'Brand Upon the Brain," which I also got to see in New York with a live band and sound effects crew. And his new film-also about his childhood, and part documentary about Winnipeg-is a visual masterpiece like his others. I am getting the idea that Maddin had quite a screwed up childhood, and he returns to this idea here. At the beginning he compares the forks in the roads to Winnipeg to his mothers vagina-or the lap as he calls it-and the whole film becomes about escaping from Winnipeg, from the sleepwalkers, and from mothers.
We get some archive footage in between reenactments from Maddins childhood. The documentary portion of the town is quite interesting, especially a fact about a hockey stadium that was attempted to get knocked down. And the images of Maddins childhood, and the little stories, end up being quite hilarious. We also get the usual Maddin title cards, like "Dr. Plonk" except massively edited and quickly cut. "My Winnipeg" is for Maddin fans only-and if you are a first timer you will either say to yourself "This is a masterpiece," or "Why am I here?"
The most interesting thing about this screening was that next to me was a boy of thirteen was was seeing this, and earlier in the week he saw "Captain Mike Across America." He reminded me of me. I guess thirteen was when I crossed over to the dark side as well. And to the right of me was a twenty something who was so fast asleep I thought his head would hit my shoulder.
"My Winnipeg" won the award for best Canadian film at the festival this year.
Directed by Guy Maddin
90 Minutes
I love Guy Maddin. The Canadian film maker is a visual artist, always having us look at such unusual images and photography. I loved his last film 'Brand Upon the Brain," which I also got to see in New York with a live band and sound effects crew. And his new film-also about his childhood, and part documentary about Winnipeg-is a visual masterpiece like his others. I am getting the idea that Maddin had quite a screwed up childhood, and he returns to this idea here. At the beginning he compares the forks in the roads to Winnipeg to his mothers vagina-or the lap as he calls it-and the whole film becomes about escaping from Winnipeg, from the sleepwalkers, and from mothers.
We get some archive footage in between reenactments from Maddins childhood. The documentary portion of the town is quite interesting, especially a fact about a hockey stadium that was attempted to get knocked down. And the images of Maddins childhood, and the little stories, end up being quite hilarious. We also get the usual Maddin title cards, like "Dr. Plonk" except massively edited and quickly cut. "My Winnipeg" is for Maddin fans only-and if you are a first timer you will either say to yourself "This is a masterpiece," or "Why am I here?"
The most interesting thing about this screening was that next to me was a boy of thirteen was was seeing this, and earlier in the week he saw "Captain Mike Across America." He reminded me of me. I guess thirteen was when I crossed over to the dark side as well. And to the right of me was a twenty something who was so fast asleep I thought his head would hit my shoulder.
"My Winnipeg" won the award for best Canadian film at the festival this year.
posted by Eric at
5:56 AM
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