My Winnipeg (2007)

3.5

DOCUMENTARY/FANTASY
U.S. Release Date: 06/13/08
Running Length: 80 Minutes
MPAA Classification: No Rating
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Cast: Darcy Fehr, Ann Savage, Amy Stewart
Director: Guy Maddin
Written By: Guy Maddin, George Toles (dialogue)
Cinematography: Jody Shapiro
U.S. Distributor: IFC Films

Review by: Carter Moulton

03/27/09

To call My Winnipeg a documentary might be incorrect, but it’s the only genre in which Guy Maddin’s film fits. Influenced by German expressionalism (Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari) and film-noir, which Madden is known for loving, its an historical dream, a love-letter to Maddin’s hometown. The distinction between documentary and feature is faint. It flirts back and forth with a fictional narrative, and many of the facts that Maddin states are either exaggerations or entirely false—he wasn’t born in the locker room of a hockey rink. That being said, the majority of history is true, making My Winnipeg all the more dreamlike—what a weird city.

The narrative element starts on a train, with a Maddin voiceover: “Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Winnipeg, snowy, sleepwalking Winnipeg. My home for my entire life, my entire life. I must leave it, I must leave it, I must leave it now.” The film is essentially a reflection on his life in Winnipeg, the good, the bad and the snow. Issues at home, the never-ending snowy nights, the strange, twisted architecture, and frustration towards modernization are all touched on. We see reenactments of his childhood situations—obviously exaggerated, and quite humorous—featuring the great Ann Savage (a noir icon) as Maddin’s mother.

Photo © IFC Films

Maddin’s words encapsulate the city with a cold, piercing tone. When describing his hometown: “Winnipeg has 10 times the sleepwalking rate of any other city in the world"; on his house: “it was a big cube of home, a chunk of happy home.” Listening to his words is a dream in itself: “what exuberant lungfuls of fresh air the city has for those who want to scoop it up in their mouths.”

The written word isn’t what this film is about though; it’s about the visuals and the atmosphere. Subliminal messages, in the style of Soviet Montage, occasionally grace the screen for a second or two. Maddin combines archived footage with new reenactments seamlessly. The visuals combined with Maddin’s words are a thing to behold. Filmed in black and white, minus the shots of the city’s newly modernized and commercialized renovations, it approaches surrealism at times, as we’re not always sure what Maddin is suggesting. This is okay; it’s a personal film, which means Maddin mostly talks about the memories relevant to him. It may not appeal to everyone, but if you have any sort of admiration for historical, cerebral filmmaking, you have to see My Winnipeg. To me, his personal approach makes the film more important and achieved.