Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair

This short film (coming in at only seven minutes) is Guy Maddin's precursor to "Keyhole". While they are not directly related, we can see how this one lead to the other. And, of course, he used Isabella Rossellini in both (an actress we can always use more of).

This is something of a mysterious film in that the other actors are unknown and it is silent, largely a collection of images. This may be how Maddin works best, though. His replication of silent film is incredible, and perhaps that is one reason this may be even more enjoyable than "Keyhole". (Perhaps, also, this was not shot digitally, but on this point I am not sure.)

Suspense, drama, sexuality, humor, and intrigue, and all these feelings, moods, and textures rolled into one in every other shot...like any great Maddin movie, "Sen Me to the 'Lectric Chair" is chaotic as all Hell...and, somehow, Maddin pulls it all off with near perfection. While not nearly as good as "Heart of the World" or some of his feature length works, this Maddin short is likely to delight big enough fans of his style and overall world. The mises en scène are unique enough to make the film something work talking about, while its editing style is rapidfire and radically surreal enough to either annoy or stun...or both.