My Winnipeg (2007)

94% of critics liked it
(82 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(2,915 ratings)

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 chronicle, and personal portrait. In the first segment, Maddin's camera drifts dreamlike through crowded… More 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 chronicle, 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

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 20 min.
Directed By: Guy Maddin
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: Sep 7, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Oct 28, 2008
Studio: IFC First Take

Critic Reviews

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, San Francisco Chronicle
The best way to take My Winnipeg is with a box of popcorn and a grain of salt.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
This is a secret history, and it's a wonder.
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic
My Winnipeg is a mobile collage, and its assemblage is fascinating.
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 town's dreaminess.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
If you love movies in the very sinews of your imagination, you should experience the work of Guy Maddin.
Jeffrey Chen, Window to the Movies
Presented with such dreamlike flourish and humor that watching the movie is extremely entertaining.
Simon Foster, sbs.com.au
Maddin's exploration of his dysfunctional family life mirrors the crumbling facade of this major city. The symbolism is potent; the skill with which Maddin applies it, masterful.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Leaves one alternately giddy and groggy
Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile
It's so personal and so funny and so moving. Guy Maddin uses cinematic arts and crafts to convey his feelings about his home town
Simon Weaving, Screenwize
It'll stay with you and haunt you in the best possible way long after you left the cinema.
Steve Ramos, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
My Winnipeg is too funny and touching to be labeled purely experimental. It's magical, but the type of movie magic all can enjoy, if they only take a walk through the winter wonderland known as Winnipeg.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
Maddin is a real film-maker with a confident, fluent movie language that is evolving in fascinating directions.
Monika Bartyzel, Cinematical
A film that makes what would seem like a mundane documentary into a funny, charming, relatable and interesting exploration of Maddin's home.
Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star
This love/hate tribute to [director Maddin's] hometown is one of the year's weirdest, most memorable 80 minutes of celluloid.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Given its unusual blend of fact and fiction, the film is a real head-scratcher. Like most -- if not all -- of Maddin's films, it's as bewildering as it is visually arresting. And yes, that means it's an acquired taste.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
It's actually Maddin's most accessible film, and underneath the surreal images and foreboding narration is a relatively familiar message: You can go home again. And if you do, feel free to take some creative liberties here and there.
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
Maddin translated his befuddlement of Winnipeg to me, but not his fascination.
Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing
Maddin creates a rich tapestry weaving together fact and fiction.
Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer
A soft, drifting dream of a motion picture.

Read all 20 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Elvira B

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,… More
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, grainy 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.
Jennifer X

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… More
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 the feeling the guy really, really loves living there. This is a GOOD movie.
Gordon A

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.
Dillon L

One of the most inventive, unique, surreal, contemplative movies I have ever seen.
Mike N

He looks through his window. What does he see? What does he see?
Walter M

[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… More
[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 while 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]
Alec B

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… More
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.
Ed Fucking H

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… More
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 hard 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.
Laurence C

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… More
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, like 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.
Emily B

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… More
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 favourite Guy Maddin film so far.
Wu C

Fascinating and original bio/docu of Winnipeg told by Guy Maddin. Very dreamlike and almost surreal.
Christopher B

Thanks to a wonderful birthday present from my wife I was lucky enough to see this great documentary with narration from Guy Maddin himself. The problem is, will it ever be able to live up to the first viewing? I'm willing to give it more than one shot. A documentary in the… More
Thanks to a wonderful birthday present from my wife I was lucky enough to see this great documentary with narration from Guy Maddin himself. The problem is, will it ever be able to live up to the first viewing? I'm willing to give it more than one shot. A documentary in the style of Bunel's Land Without Bread mixed with Maddin's amazing, dreamlike narration shows Winnipeg as it's never been seen before. Maddin has always considered Winnipeg a magical place worthy of mythical stories and this film makes the audience fall in love not only with Winnipeg but Maddin's bizarre memory of his childhood. A great film told with incredible style and humour and one of my favourite movie going experiences. Excellent. Plus the editing was fantastic.