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Darcy Fehr, Ann Savage, Amy Stewart, Brendan Cade, Wesley Cade ... see more see more... , Louis Negin

Visionary Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin pays tribute to his beloved hometown with this goodbye letter and self-described "docu-fantasia" that is equal parts transcendental rumination, historical chron... read more read more...icle, and personal portrait. In the first segment, Maddin's camera drifts dreamlike through crowded trains as a floating kielbasa hangs from the ceiling and the director/narrator ponders just why the city boasts the most sleepwalkers per capita of any major international city. Later, the viewer is treated to images of numerous historical monuments in the city as they learn about such key historical events as the Winnipeg General Strike, the defeat of the Winnipeg Jets, and even the Golden Boy pageant scandal and a racetrack tragedy that found numerous horses sent to an icy death. As the third and final segment gets underway, the director draws inspiration from filmmaker William Castle to present pivotal -- and often traumatic -- events from his childhood that left an indelible mark while simultaneously serving to mold his unique vision of his beloved Winnipeg. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

77% liked it

2,950 ratings

Critics

94% liked it

82 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 20 min.

Directed by: Guy Maddin

Release Date: September 7, 2007

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DVD Release Date: October 28, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (445)

  • ebs90
    December 3, 2010
    ebs90
    A visual poem about... well, Winnipeg. A fascinating projection of Guy Maddin's memories and personal mythologies about the city where he was born and raised, juxtaposed upon a fantastical recount of historical facts and urban legends with his trademark silent film aesthetic, gra... read moreiny and ethereal. It's self-indulgent perhaps, but watching it is enrapturing like discovering a completely new world. A perfect example of how realities become extraordinary when observed through an extraordinary prism.
  • jennifxu
    November 10, 2009
    jennifxu
    It sounds weird, but this is just the type of film I'd make if I were a filmmaker. It's like the dude voiced out my deepest, darkest, insomniacest sentiments and filmed it in a sort of hyper-nostalgic, Caligari surreal docudrama. It's a perfect homage to a weirdo town and you get... read more the feeling the guy really, really loves living there. This is a GOOD movie.
  • gor41
    November 1, 2008
    gor41
    Fascinating poetic hymn to Maddin's home town which bombards you with captivating images as Maddin narrates. Mixes documentary footage with staged reenactments and surreal flights of fancy. A truly original visual and narrative style - Maddin deserves a wide audience.
  • fb1619601747
    August 21, 2011
    fb1619601747
    One of the most inventive, unique, surreal, contemplative movies I have ever seen.
  • michaelneumann
    January 5, 2009
    michaelneumann
    He looks through his window. What does he see? What does he see?
  • gator681
    June 22, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]Co-written, directed and narrated by Guy Maddin, "My Winnipeg" is the kind of movie that only the iconoclastic filmmaker could make as he imagines his first trip out of Winnipeg on a train taking the scenic route, bemoaning the loss of the city he once knew w... read morehile also imagining a fantastic mystical alternate history for it. As cities grow older, they attempt to look newer, losing old landmarks in the process that are missed by longtime residents and Winnipeg is no different. While trying to sort through the city's history, he takes a shot at his own, renting his childhood home at 800 Ellice Avenue, with his actress mother(Ann Savage) playing herself, and hiring actors to play his siblings. What Maddin is trying to do is to figure out how much living above a hair salon may have affected him growing up. What definitely played a large part in his development like most of his fellow countrymen is hockey and it is the loss of the Jets that he saves most of his ire for.(Hey, you would be angry too if you lost your hockey team to Phoenix.) And I do not mean to nitpick anything that is not meant to be taken literally but the Jets were originally in the WHA, one of four teams that made it into the NHL, of which the Oilers are the only one that did not move south.[/font]
  • fb20312798
    January 5, 2009
    fb20312798
    Its impossible to describe unless you've seen it. Guy Maddin's film is a fantasy documentary full of bizarre tales about his hometown and his mother. Whats true and what isn't does not matter and I think it is tied with Synecdoche New York for the most original film of 2008.
  • shitfaced8
    June 22, 2011
    shitfaced8
    Easily my favourite Guy Maddin film that I've seen thus far. I guess I'd classify this as a documentary, albeit one like you've never seen before. The narration is great. There's some animated segments as well. Some very funny dark humour humour throughout (I havent laughed so ha... read morerd at movie in a really long time) That vintage old tyme, surrealist look. I suspect some inspiration from 50's/60's Cold War Era propaganda films. Really can't think of anything negative to say about this one. Probably one of the best films to come out in the past 10 years or so.
  • liquidstone14
    March 15, 2010
    liquidstone14
    What might amount to Guy Maddin's own 8 1/2 is a ''docu-fantasia'' alright : passionate and playful, it is brimming with marvelous cinematic flashes and it carries quite an emotional resonance; a very surprising feat since it is an unabashedly subjective work of art. This is, lik... read moree most of the director's work, a love-it-or-hate-it affair-- so I'm not going to hide the fact that am completely head over heels about this affectionate and delirious dream diary. One to add to your shortlist for sure.
  • littlecharmer1959
    July 29, 2009
    littlecharmer1959
    A fantasy/documentary on Maddin's hometown of Winnipeg. It's a very personal film but it was engaging and fascinating throughout. Maddin's Winnipeg is one of sleepwalkers, frozen horse heads, the academy of the ultra-vixens and man-pageants, and I didn't feel like leaving it. My ... read morefavourite Guy Maddin film so far.

View All My Winnipeg Reviews

Critic Reviews

John DeFore
October 18, 2008
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter

Guy Maddin docu about his hometown gives fans everything they'd expect, plus a few moments of unexpected sincerity.

Ruthe Stein
July 25, 2008
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

The best way to take My Winnipeg is with a box of popcorn and a grain of salt. Full Review

Ty Burr
July 11, 2008
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

This is a secret history, and it's a wonder. Full Review

Stanley Kauffmann
June 29, 2008
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic

My Winnipeg is a mobile collage, and its assemblage is fascinating. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
June 27, 2008
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

In the narration Maddin claims that Winnipeg has ten times as many sleepwalkers as any other city in the world, and though he's surely making this up, it conveys his own sense of entrapment amid the t... Full Review

Roger Ebert
June 27, 2008
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

If you love movies in the very sinews of your imagination, you should experience the work of Guy Maddin. Full Review

Philip Kennicott
June 26, 2008
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post

An unhinged, utterly delightful 'documentary'. Full Review

Steven Rea
June 26, 2008
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

For the uninitiated, I heartily recommend this free-associative, autobiographical gem. Full Review

Michael Phillips
June 26, 2008
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

Much of what Maddin asserts as truth is balderdash. He was not, for example, born in the locker room of the local hockey team's arena. Full Review

Colin Covert
June 26, 2008
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Weird, fascinating and uproarious, My Winnipeg takes place not in chilly Manitoba but in the dreamscape of Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin's overheated imagination. Full Review

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