For audiences familiar with Canadian director Guy Maddin’s work, the very idea of him making a documentary seems like a joke. His entire oeuvre is steeped in fantasy, pastiche and film references, often recreating a past or place that only ever existed in the cinema. One would never have suspected that a dose of reality would invigorate Maddin, but that’s exactly what the challenge of making My Winnipeg, even on his own eccentric terms, did. It follows two main narrative threads: Maddin (played on-screen by Darcy Fehr) tries to stay awake on a train leaving Winnipeg by recalling odd stories of the city’s past. Maddin also makes a film about his childhood, starring his mother (played by Ann Savage, star of the classic film noir Detour) in a series of Freudian vignettes. Maddin’s style continues to draw upon silent cinema, but here he uses a variety of cameras to create a unique look. Watch the trailer, then read the Q&A.
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