Reviewed by Neil Davey
Stars Darcy Fehr, Ann Savage, Amy Stewart, Louis Negin, Brandan Cade, Wesley Cade, Lou Profeta, Fred Dunsmore, Kate Yacula, Jacelyn Lobay, Eric Nipp, Jennifer Palichuk
Written by Guy Maddin & George Toles
Certification UK 12A | Canada 14A
Runtime 80 minutes
Directed by Guy Maddin
When is a memoir not a memoir? When is a documentary not a documentary? My Winnipeg — the answer to both those questions — is a strange experience. Canadian director Guy Maddin's recollections of his home town, shot in faux historical style is certainly hypnotic but whether that means “unable to tear your eyes from it” or “ thanks for the nap” will depend on your frame of mind when watching. The net result is like those dreams you have when ill, where it's almost impossible to distinguish what's real and what's not. As such, My Winnipeg is a very clever achievement. Whether it's the sort of thing you want to sit through voluntarily is an entirely separate debate.
Those in the know / with a desperate need to pigeonhole everything have called the style docu-fantasia, which is as accurate as it is deeply pretentious. If you want a documentary, do you really want the half-remembered surreal moments (people ice skating around horse heads) or just the facts, ma'am? At its best, Maddin's approach and the dreamlike quality suggests the fleeting nature of a childhood barely remembered. At its worst, it's intensely annoying, worming its nonsensical way into the subconscious, like a conversation that drones away nearby while you nap on and off.
My Winnipeg is occasionally hilarious, undoubtedly clever, beautifully shot in rich, evocative monochrome and deeply, deeply frustrating. If you have a story to tell, tell it. The lasting memory here is of a man with either nothing to say or something he's determined to hide – and why would anyone sit through either voluntarily?