Uncompromising, hallucinatory, and certainly not for all tastes, The Forbidden Room, from directors Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson, is a stylistic tour de force for everyone involved, and a further reminder that there are cinematic artists out there who are pushing the limits and expectations of even the most seasoned and discriminating of viewers. The highly expressionistic/impressionistic cinematography by dual shooters Stéphanie Anne Weber Biron and Ben Kasulke is nothing short of spectacular, producing a phantasmagoria of images, all of which consumes the viewer with ferocious intensity that some might feel suffocated, if not continually startled. Similar in tone and spirit to something like Ben Wheatley’s bravura A Field in England but wholly original on its own terms, this is a work that’s best to be experienced rather than cajoled into seeing. Check out the trailer, and you’ll know within 20 seconds if this is something that you might enjoy or respond to. Starring some familiar faces including Charlotte Rampling, Mathieu Amalric, and Udo Kier (a frequent Maddin collaborator), this is as non-linear and esoteric as it’s likely going to get, a true piece of challenging art cinema that’s likely to frustrate and excite in equal measure. The rough “plot synopsis” sounds as if you are making it up as you go along; I’m not going to bother with a point by point, blow by blow summation of this film. Initially, this isn’t a movie to study on a micro level, but rather, The Forbidden Room is the true sum of all its wild and crazy parts, a nightmarish odyssey into cinematically strange territory, with a distinct point of view that elevates it from just being weird for weird’s sake. And if you’re a fan of it, The Forbidden Room will likely engender multiple viewings, so as to dissect all that’s being hurled at you, and all that’s being discussed within its dense, thoughtful, and metaphorical narrative. It’s also interesting to note that the film was shot in various public studios (interested parties could visit and attend the shoots) at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, France and the Centre PHI in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Guy Maddin has always been a provocative filmmaker, and with his latest project, he’s again conjured up something totally unique and oddly special.
Podcasting Them Softly 