My Winnipeg

Watching this movie is more an experience than a viewing. It combines a variety of approaches to the art of filmmaking and screenwriting which, I feel, make it a film with its own voice and a distinct identity, a very rare thing these days. In its construction, Maddin experiments with contrast, color, lighting and shadow, even giving it qualities of film noir at times, which are all very interesting and make "My Winnipeg" a very visually striking movie to watch. But the script, which plays with setting, narration, point of view, character, and chronology, is what is truly amazing. It captivates the audience, pulling us into the sudden breaks, jumps, and fading twilight of the narrator's memory. But at its heart, "My Winnipeg" is an homage to childhood. It does not gloss over anything or dress the past in pretty clothing; instead, the film attempts to seek the sweetness of Winnipeg childhood in the gritty, frigid, often lurid and grotesque aspects of its character. The city itself is almost like a prescence on the screen, and the audience cannot help but sense that as the narrator changes while growing up, Winnipeg changes right along with him. Highlights of the film include the sequences concerning the reconstruction of vital scenes from the narrator's childhood, as these are the most personal and interesting as far as character development. The bit about the frozen horses protruding from the surface of the pond is deliciously disgusting and unique, at least in my experience. All around, "My Winnipeg" is quite a good little movie.