Strange, avant-garde, weird, bizarre, surreal, disturbing... these words and more add up to describe a lot of Guy Maddin's work. The question is, however, what kind of person is Maddin himself? Well let's just put it this way: a lot like his movies.
This documentary, narrated perfectly by Tom Waits (he has just the disconnecting, growling voice needed, weirdly enough) explores Guy Maddin's life, friends, family, and how they all inspired different parts of what makes Guy Guy--from tales of his father leaving him alone with hockey players to wash and dry them, to anecdotes about slacking off and stalking girls.
What makes this film really compelling is the dry humour of most of the people involved. Guy was definitely surrounded by a lot of interesting (some could say strange, I think they're fascinating) people who all kind of added to the worlds that Guy creates in his films. The documentary itself is true to his vision, even while showing the man behind them.
It's difficult to really make a documentary like this interesting or even telling to a personality who is usually hidden behind a camera, but I applaud the filmmakers for pulling it off.
--PolarisDiB
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