Careful

My usual reaction to a Maddin feature. Amazingly original, with such stunningly unique visuals, a terrific sense of humor, playful structure and psychological drama. But he just kind of wears me out. This fatigue was mitigated somewhat in this case by a more straightforward narrative than usual. For the most part, I was greatly intrigued by this quirky melodrama loaded with Freudian twists. You gotta love a scene where incestuous confessions are discussed between two yawning participants.

I wanted to like this, my first foray into a wacky world of Maddin's. I simply couldn't. The appeal of his peculiar experiment started to grate almost instantly. Left is the monumentally terrible campiness. Intentional, of course - but to what end? Some will lap it up for its own sake. I, for one, found it neither rich nor amusing. I suppose being more proficient in the film language of the 1920s might help me "get it". Or watching some German mountain films. I damn well don't intend to, though.

Like the Quay Brothers, but good?

Momentary flashes of brilliance but it's ultimately obsoleted by later Maddin/Toles projects that take these themes and aesthetics much further down the Freudian rabbit hole.

I very much enjoyed "My Winnipeg" but while "Careful" shares a similar sense of humor and irreverence, it was hard to feel any emotional connection this time.

Even though it's relatively straight-forward for Maddin, its setting is one of my favorites and inherently surreal.

Şu vakte kadar 1001 memleketten, 1001 türlü film izledim, hala bir Guy Maddin filmi izleyince benzeri olmayan bir deneyim yaşamış gibi hissediyorum. Bu film de, kendi içinde bu hissiyatı sonuna kadar yaşatıyor.

Weirdest of the weird. The low budget is evident - so too, the talent of Maddin.

Careful! "You should never hold a baby's face near an open pin." Careful, careful!