4 stars out of 5
I’ll be honest with you — I have no idea what to make of this movie, but I still enjoyed the hell out of it. The works of Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin are certainly not for everybody, but if you’re lucky enough to be remotely on his wavelength, he rewards us with beauty and sadness, humor and absurdity, and utter madness.
In The Forbidden Room, he holds nothing back. The film begins with a virtual explosion of wobbling muted colors and million-year-old fonts; you feel as if the film stock will suddenly burn up in the projector, or else turn to dust. An older man in a robe — reminiscent of the “host” from Funny or Die Presents — instructs us on how to take a bath. Next we are in a submarine, where the crew is running out of air. A mysterious bearded (and damp) woodsman boards the vessel somehow, unsure how he got there, and we learn of his quest through the forest to rescue the beautiful Margot. And there is a song about derrieres by the legendary oddball duo Sparks, paired with footage featuring Charlie Chaplain’s daughter:
It goes on like this, stories embedded within stories within stories with stories, an intricate, meticulously crafted puzzle, with acting credits interspersed throughout. If you’re familiar with Maddin’s films, you’ll find yourself in recognizable terrain — a woozy dream state viewed through the lens of silent movies, worshipping the old-timey and the never-was. If you’re not familiar and it all sounds incredibly pretentious, fear not: Maddin has a wild sense of humor, a definite down-to-earth sensibility, and much of this is tongue-in-cheek (and even breaks the fourth wall, slyly referencing the screwiness of so many stories nested within themselves). He just happens to be insane.
The movie has a co-director (Evan Johnson), but I’m guessing that was more a matter of logistics, as the film was conceived as an art project, performed and filmed in front of live audiences (which you absolutely can’t tell from watching the finished work). And I think that the stories within are lost silent films, totally reimagined and remade. Also there is much, much more footage, which will end up on an interactive website. Or I have all of this completely wrong — I just don’t know anymore!
If you like looking at famous people, in addition to Geraldine Chaplin, we get Mr. Diving Bell and the Butterfly Mathieu Amalric, Broadchurch lawyer/Dexter doctor Charlotte Rampling, and we-need-a-German-guy Udo Kier. Also, I was very happy to see Maddin regular Louis Negin.
I was transfixed and frequently delighted by The Forbidden Room, but it’s definitely a head trip. If you’re new to Guy Maddin, you may want to test the waters by first watching The Saddest Music in the World, which is a little less Maddin-ing.
Dear Mr. Silbert , That so called “mysterious bearded & damp” woodsman is one of the most acclaimed,respected and celebrated Quebecois actors in the history of Quebecois & Canadian film. His name is Roy Dupuis. Next time please do your research more throughly before being so dismissive,in my humble opinion, of a brilliantly gifted and phenomenal human being.
Respectfully,
N.Samuelle
It is La Femme herself! Such an honor.
You’ll recall that I didn’t name the site, so I haven’t given the term a whole lot of thought. But since it’s akin to “kicking someone when they’re down,” I’d say I’m against putting salt in wounds. Not good sportsmanship.