My Winnipeg (2007)

Maddin’s ruminative essay-film is a surreal remembrance both personal (with reenactments of his hyperbolically bizarre childhood) and public (with a commentary on the mostly snowbound history of Winnipeg, not least aspects of its architectural progress). The purple, liturgical narration intoned by the director is a linguistic delight, perfectly complementing cinematographer Jody Shapiro’s vibrantly febrile images.