Cast and Crew: Isabella Rossellini (Narrator in DVD version)
What It’s About: Guy Maddin (Erik Steffen Maahs) rows to his childhood home-an island with an orphanage in a lighthouse. His parents ran the orphanage, and he led a privileged life wandering the island while the orphans alternated between cleaning for Mother and being locked in their rooms. Guy received a last request from his mother to repaint the lighthouse, and while doing so he recalls his life there-and how it ended…
Why Watch it Today?: Guy Maddin, Winnipeg’s own art filmmaker, turns 57 today. Maddin’s films are something you either love or scratch your head at; personally I love them. Read our complete review of Brand Upon the Brain here.
Other Choices: Looking for your first hit of Maddin? I recommend his most accessible film, The Saddest Music in the World. If you already know and like (or love) Maddin, you might try his earlier Careful, or his recent sort-of-documentary, My Winnipeg.
The League of Dead Films 
This was the 1st Maddin film I saw. So odd and beautiful. Great stuff!
Mine was Careful, which I found in a library collection, I think, and brought home to intrigue and bewilder my housemates. I definitely need to see more of his work-four films isn’t enough.
My second favorite Madden feature length film after my Winnipeg. His films are literature…. They are gorgeous, original, and occasionally delightfully weird.
I think I preferred the wilder excesses of Careful, but it’s possible that it’s just that I saw Careful first. I’ve yet to see a Maddin film I haven’t enjoyed, though.
Haven’t seen Careful yet — it’s on the list. Careful’s premise seemed like perfect short story material.
[…] setting up their second season, I was invited to pick a movie…and, again, I picked a former Movie-of-the-Day, Brand Upon the Brain. You can listen to Episode 47: Rube Goldberg Machine of Despair below….and you can also […]