The Dead Father

I learned of Guy Maddin when I saw his 2003 drama "The Saddest Music in the World", about a contest to see which country makes the most depressing music. I just saw his feature debut, the surreal "Tales from the Gimli Hospital". Included on the DVD was his earlier short "The Dead Father". This equally surreal movie depicts a man convinced that he's seeing his late father all over the place. Or something like that. It's not the sort of movie that you try to follow logically.

I'd recommend this for completists. Most people will probably spend the movie trying to figure out what's going on. It's an interesting piece of work - and I like complex movies - but this isn't one that you watch for enjoyment. One of the most bizarre movies that I've ever seen.

This short film follows a man, who keeps seeing his recently deceased father in various places. But is he really seeing him? Is he really there? His father shows up lying on the dinner table; in bed; in the garden; in another house. The father doesn't speak, but constantly keeps his son in check by pointing and finger-wagging, and even slaps him on one occasion. The film arrives at a disturbing scene where the son gets some sort of revenge, greedily, in his own way.

A surreal meditation on death, this short film contains some ideas and images worthy of the original Surrealists, with touches of humor. Though in some ways the movie feels like the first-time attempt that it is, the story is both more coherent and more profound than some of Maddin's feature-length efforts. The black-and-white cinematography and old-style dubbing set a strong mood, and the director makes good use of locations, props, and costumes to create a dreamlike but palpable suburban world from a few decades ago. A small note: 1930's movie buffs may be annoyingly distracted by the clips of familiar soundtracks in the background. You can find this short on the DVD of "Tales from the Gimli Hospital".

In a collection of memories, our narrator recalls the death of his father but not his actual departure. With the man's eldest son still feeling resentment, loss and guilt over the man's death bring the spirit of his father back in a semi-living state; ghostly if you will. These visits continue as the son finds himself driven to despair by his father's continued presence and he comes ever closer to a series of desperate acts.

Having been taken in by Guy Maddin's later work it was only a matter of time before I had a stab at his earliest film, specifically this short film that was one of his first forays into directing. Having gotten used to not understanding the narrative of any of his later films it was a surprise to find that not only did this appear to have more of a structure to it but that it also had a rather toned down visual style that I wasn't expecting even if this was his first film. Narrative wise it is still a bit thin but it produced enough to keep me interested and make me think more about the characters and the story I was being told, even if I could have done with a bit more in the way of explanation and background development. Ironically enough this is actually more accessible than some of his later work and could work as a way in for the uninitiated as well as some of his better films made more recently. Stylistically the film is very sparse and bare and may put some of his modern fans off who have come to expect great flair and style from him but for me both worked and this had enough going for it to be visually interesting without going over (or near) the top.

The cast are OK and do their part (posing well in the clever opening credits) but really Maddin is the star here as both writer and director. Overall this is an interesting short that is up to standard for the majority of Maddin's work. It may not win over those that find no value in any of his films (what would?) but it is a good short film that can be enjoyed on its own or as an example of the style and approach that he would continue to develop over later years.

From Guy Maddin, the Canadian madman behind such masterpieces as "My Winnipeg" and "Archangel", comes a bizarre short film so insane it is likely to shock almost everybody that sees it (mainly due to one climactic scene in particular which made me unsure whether I should cringe, cry, scream, or laugh my ass off). Featuring Maddin's signature silent-film-esque type style, dark sense of humor, startling taste for tragedy, and knack at creating some of the most haunting "horror" movies ever made, "The Dead Father" is sure to fascinate some, impress others, and baffle most. It's visuals are grainy yet visually appealing, it seems to be a tribute t oldie horror movies while still being a completely original work of its own, it adopts a style that mixes both stylistic choices attributed to Sergei Eisenstein and 30's-50's B-Movies; it's wholly bizarre but in Maddin's own, charming way.

Sprinkled with all of the laugh out loud, yet subtle (and ABSOLUTELY ABSURD!!!) gags one could hope for as well as a stinging sense of sadness, this melancholic yet spooky fantasy tale is Gothic, goofy, and gruesome all at once (but not in the traditional manner, for Maddin breaks all possible traditions and crafts a film that is flawless in its depiction of the odd, it's almost like stepping into a creative, yet darkly lit unconscious mind, the mind of an artist with a sense of dark humor and demented horror).