Night Mayor (2009) is the latest short film by Canadian-expressionist-surrealist filmmaker Guy Maddin.  The ten-minute film will have its world premiere at the upcoming 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.  Set during 1939 in Winnipeg, Canada, the film follows a Bosnian immigrant who conceives a way to harness the power of the Aurora Borealis — also know as the northern lights — and the Bosnian immigrant uses the northern lights to broadcast imagery coast to coast.  Continue reading this article to watch two minutes from the film and for a longer synopsis.

Side Note: The phenomenon of Aurora Borealis is produced from an interaction between the Earth’s magnetic field and solar wind.

SYNOPSIS:

Winnipeg, 1939. A Bosnian immigrant to Canada, Nihad Ademi, conceives of a way to harness the power of the Aurora Borealis in order to broadcast imagery of his vast and beloved adopted land from coast to coast to coast. From his tenement apartment-cum-laboratory, with the help of his large and eager family, Nihad perfects his device and prepares to bring Canada – or at least images of Canada, from the fighting beaver on – to its own people. From directly in the centre of the country, a startling broadcast emanates like ripples in a formerly placid pond.

Incredibly, due to the unfathomable powers of the Northern Lights, the device begins projecting images that do not even exist – images plumbed first from the depths of Nihad Ademi’s subconscious mind, and presently from the group consciousness of the whole citizenry of Canada.

However, all of this does not rest easy with the government. They stage a raid on Nihad’s laboratory in an effort to prevent the dissemination of unregulated patriotic imagery. The climactic donnybrook between cops and family leads to the tragic suspension of this remarkable method of broadcast, and relegates Nihad Ademi to the footnotes of Canadian history.

Night Mayor Video Clip:

More:

NFBC: Guy Maddin talks about Night Mayor (Guy Maddin Interview)

Cinematical: Guy Maddin’s New Short to Premiere at TIFF

Night Mayor on IMDB

Related posts:

1. Careful (1992) by Guy Maddin | Film Review
2. the guy

Careful(1992), Guy Maddin’s third feature film, draws inspiration from such films as The Cabinet of Dr. Calighara (1920) and A Trip to the Moon (1902).  Upon its release, some critics classified Careful as a neo-german-expressionist film — visually, this is true — however, Careful’s candy-eye visuals occasionally serve as artifice that sets the viewer up for an unexpected comdedic round-house kick.  Wild humor and sound considered, Canadian Expressionism is more suitable — it’s a wildly original film that sits next to The Saddest Music in the World (1996) and Sissy Boy Slap Party (1994) as Maddin’s best work to date.

In Careful, Guy Maddin’s third feature film, Surrealist visuals run amok and the mise en scène recalls A Trip to the Moon (1902) or that of a German Expressionist film like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). There also is a heavy dose of Bunuel influence, too, for there are many moments that call to mind Un Chien Andalou (1929) and L’Age D’or (1930).

The film begins with a washed out sepia tint and fluctuates between black/white and hyper-stylized coloring throughout.  At times the pairing of red and green lighting gels resemble the set of a Dario Argento movie, specifically Suspiria (1977).  Maddin shot the film on super 16mm and blew it up to a 35mm print, therefore the picture is noticeably grainy, and Maddin probably did this deliberately (Maddin loves the grain).

Upon its release, some critics classified Careful as a neo-german-expressionist film — visually, this is true — however, Canadian Expressionism or Hyper-Expressionist Maddinism are suitable genres as well.  Ultimately unclassifiable, this is a film the sits next to Sissy Boy Slap Party (1995), The Heart of the World (2000), The Saddest Music in the World (2003), and My Winnipeg (2007) as Maddin’s best work to date.

In addition to Maddin’s distinctive aesthetics, Careful established recurring Maddinian themes: Complex maternal issues, also present in Brand Upon the Brain! (2006) and My Winnipeg ; dead animal corpses, also present in Winnipeg; hallucinatory mad-scientist experiments, akin to Saddest Music, Cowards Bend the Knee (2003), & Brand; supernatural encounters, bizarro morbidity, male shower scenes, and so forth.  By default, the odds are against a film with such characteristics; nevertheless, Maddin thrashed all odds and established himself internationally as an auteur.

By nature, film is a collaborative art, but the teamwork of Maddin and writer George Toles is all-star, much like the John Stockton and Karl Malone NBA duo. The story is well written and filled with artifices that trick the viewer into believing no comedy will occur, but this is not the case — the film is deceptively hilarious.  I really got a kick out of the scene where Grigoriss and Johann attend butler school.

You have to watch Sissy Boy Slap Party

More:

Careful on IMDB

Guy Maddin on Senses of Cinema

Criterion Collection Essay by Dennis Lim

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