Guy Maddin's The Saddest Music in the World

Fyodor: Are you an American?
Narcissa: No, I'm not an American. I'm a nymphomaniac.

Thats the sort of thing your getting into when you watch The Saddest Music in the World. Its a vibrant and unique watch that can be a little bit of a head scratcher at times.

The film is set deep in the great depression in the saddest town in the world Winnipeg Canada. Its the story of a legless beer baroness(Isabella Rossellinni), an American/Canadian Broadway Spectacle Producer(Mark Mckinney) and a contest for 25,000$ depression dollars for the country who can make the saddest music in the world.

It's impossible to talk about this film without going into the wild style it portrays on screen. The film is mainly in black and white and some parts are in colorized black and white. All the sets look like something from The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. The sound of the film is even unmatched with the on screen action just enough so you notice it. If that wasn't enough its edited at a frantic pace that is nearly overwhelming at times. Basically take all the style(albeit on crack) from the silent era and expressionist european films and apply a more risque content and dialogue and you'll have an idea of this film.

I have one major issue with this film and that is that towards the end it becomes confusing as hell. In the third act the film seems to go into overdrive pace. The line between dream sequences and actuality gets so blurred you really cant tell whats going on. Its as if Guy Maddin tamed this wild animal and kept it under control until the third act when it got loose and ran all over the place. It comes together again in a sensible way at the very end, but you are left puzzeld how exactly you got there.

This film flawed as it is is still a quite awesome viewing experience. It has a unique vision and a funny oddball story that feels something like Rocky Horror. You'll know whether your going to like this film immediately as it has a love or hate style from the get go.

3/5 "A Visually unique film, but a confusing one too."