Brand Upon the Brain! (2006)
December 18, 2024 12:58 PM - Subscribe

Returned home to his long-estranged mother upon a request from her deathbed, a man raised by his parents in an orphanage has to confront the childhood memories that have long haunted him.
posted by johnofjack (5 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Honestly, I can't say much about this film except that a) it was weird but it really worked for me, and b) I saw it 15 years ago and enjoyed the hell out of it (9/10, apparently). Aside from that I have forgotten almost everything (except one part which reminded me of F for Fake).

Just posting this because I saw that people were feeling put off by a recent Guy Maddin film. I couldn't say if this one would be a better introduction; in spite of my love for it, Dracula is the only other Guy Maddin film I've seen. (And I really didn't love that one.)
posted by johnofjack at 1:05 PM on December 18, 2024


Thanks for sharing this.

I completely agree: the movie is weird. But, weird in the best sense of the word. I'd describe it as a gender-transcending Shakespearian Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew horror-mystery set in a remote lighthouse somewhere in the uncharted memory of an unreliable narrator.

Criterion produced an excellent DVD for Brand Upon The Brain! When the movie originally screened, it was basically a roadshow with live music, live foley sound, and live narration performed by various narrators depending on the evening. The DVD includes a great mini-doc about the foley artists, plus separate audio tracks for each narrator. I prefer Guy Maddin's and Isabella Rossellini's narration, but the others are also interesting.

Seeing the whole ensemble perform live was a real treat. The movie itself might not be my favorite film ever (it's close), but the experience of seeing it all come together was one of the best, most memorable experiences I've ever had in a cinema.
posted by abraxasaxarba at 5:06 PM on December 18, 2024 [2 favorites]


Just posting this because I saw that people were feeling put off by a recent Guy Maddin film. I couldn't say if this one would be a better introduction

Beyond Brand Upon The Brain, I might venture that Maddin's most accessible films are The Saddest Music in the World, and of course his masterpiece My Winnipeg. [all links to corresponding Roger Ebert reviews]
posted by fairmettle at 12:48 AM on December 19, 2024 [2 favorites]


The Saddest Music in the World, and of course his masterpiece My Winnipeg

I like that Ebert tagged them 'comedy' and 'documentary' respectively, like well, we have to classify them somehow and I guess this will do.
posted by Literaryhero at 3:54 AM on December 19, 2024 [1 favorite]


My brother was one of the producers.
posted by brujita at 11:00 AM on December 19, 2024 [2 favorites]


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