Beautiful, interesting, incredible cinema.
TALES FROM THE GIMLI HOSPITAL
Synopsis
Late 19th century. A smallpox epidemic ravages Gimli, a small Icelandic-Canadian fishing village on the shores of Lake Winnipeg. In a hospital room, two patients, Einar and Gunnar, become friends at first—but bitter jealousy emerges once they reveal their darkest secrets to one another.
Synopsis
Late 19th century. A smallpox epidemic ravages Gimli, a small Icelandic-Canadian fishing village on the shores of Lake Winnipeg. In a hospital room, two patients, Einar and Gunnar, become friends at first—but bitter jealousy emerges once they reveal their darkest secrets to one another.
Our take
Shot on 16mm, this impulsive experiment from Canadian auteur Guy Maddin (My Winnipeg) is a true cult hit from the 1980s—one that echoes David Lynch’s Eraserhead in both form and scope. There has rarely been a movie as unbound by rules yet richly, rewardingly textured as this slow-burning gem.