On a second viewing, my appreciation for this 80's oddity has grown significantly. I have not really "understood" it more per se (I'm not sure if I will ever truly be able to entirely "understand" this film and I do not think that I'm supposed to), but I certainly have found more moments to cherish, tiny details that add to the overall absurdity that this work of art so gloriously embodies.
Bending and twisting genres and genre conventions, "Tales from the Gimli Hospital" is the greatest (and probably the only) black tragicomedy-horror-melodrama-avant garde- slapstick-thriller-love story I have ever seen, one that bathes in its gloriously Gothic and often sad atmosphere. Melancholy soaks the movie's rather scary surface, but this melancholy is also accompanied with a sharp sense of humor largely encompassed by witty and surreal visual gags, moments so absurd you cannot help but laugh.
Despite its massive and bizarre combo of varying genres, "Tales from the Gimli Hospital" never feels jumbled because its style always has the same bite. The music and performances do not change, and the overall mood doesn't either, the only thing that changes is the audience's reaction, which I feel is the best way to mix and combine genres. Guy Maddin uses his signature, silent-film-mimicing style to great effect, capturing the charm of oldie horror films and classic slapstick with a totally weird and somewhat manic twist!
Bending and twisting genres and genre conventions, "Tales from the Gimli Hospital" is the greatest (and probably the only) black tragicomedy-horror-melodrama-avant garde- slapstick-thriller-love story I have ever seen, one that bathes in its gloriously Gothic and often sad atmosphere. Melancholy soaks the movie's rather scary surface, but this melancholy is also accompanied with a sharp sense of humor largely encompassed by witty and surreal visual gags, moments so absurd you cannot help but laugh.
Despite its massive and bizarre combo of varying genres, "Tales from the Gimli Hospital" never feels jumbled because its style always has the same bite. The music and performances do not change, and the overall mood doesn't either, the only thing that changes is the audience's reaction, which I feel is the best way to mix and combine genres. Guy Maddin uses his signature, silent-film-mimicing style to great effect, capturing the charm of oldie horror films and classic slapstick with a totally weird and somewhat manic twist!