Brand Upon the Brain! (2006)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Guy Maddin

Writers:

Guy Maddin (writer)
Louis Negin (narration)

Release Date:

24 September 2008 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

Guy Maddin reluctantly returns to his childhood home, an abandoned Canadian island, where his parents ran an orphanage...

Plot Keywords:

Island | Paint | Orphan | Mother | Lighthouse

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Gretchen Krich	...	Mother
Sullivan Brown	...	Young Guy Maddin
Maya Lawson	...	Sis
Katherine E. Scharhon	...	Chance Hale / Wendy Hale
Todd Moore	...	Father
Andrew Loviska	...	Savage Tom
Kellan Larson	...	Neddie
Erik Steffen Maahs	...	Older Guy Maddin
Cathleen O'Malley	...	Young Mother
Clayton Corzatte	...	Old Father
Susan Corzatte	...	Old Mother
Megan Murphy	...	Murderous Sister
Annette Toutonghi	...	Murderous Sister
David Lobo	...	Oarsman
Eric Lobo	...	Oarsman

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Certification:

Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Singapore:R21

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

The Film Company

Quotes:

Narrator: All things will happen again. And again.

Movie Connections:

Edited into 97 Percent True (2008) (V)

Both derivative and inventive

With the exception of a few brief seemingly random shots, Brand Upon the Brain! is shot (or made to appear in post-production to be shot) in grainy black and white. The look is reminiscent of David Lynch's Eraserhead, a classic that may have been an influence, though the style is quite different. Maddin's film uses much more frenetic editing techniques, particularly frequent cutting to create an abrasive subliminal effect from which the title appears to be derived.

I use the term 'abrasive' and for some people that might be a negative, but I found it effective. The film uses captions and along with a neo-silent-era visual design, it has the effect of a coherent experimental film with a bizarre horror narrative. A man, Guy, returns to the island orphanage of his parents after a thirty year absence, on the request of his dying mother. It turns out the parents were subjecting the orphans to some peculiar activities from which Guy escaped.

I found the design, high-contrast lighting and editing techniques effective in conveying a bizarre nightmare-type of story, a horror film that is not entirely original in narrative nor design, yet original in its presentation. I liked the voice-over narration by Isabelle Rosellini.

There are some very attractive characterisations and depictions of inoffensive perversity. Definitely worth a look.