Brand Upon the Brain 2006

Brand Upon the Brain 2006
1h 35min | Comedy, Fantasy | 24 September 2008 (France)

Storyline:

Returned home to his long-estranged mother upon a request from her deathbed, a man raised by his parents in an orphanage has to confront the childhood memories that have long haunted him.

User review:

This is one of those films that’s more interesting to watch from an academic perspective than from an entertainment perspective. I do my ratings based on how much I enjoyed or was entertained by the movie, so I’m giving it a 4. If I were to rate it as an academic film, though, it would get a 10.

It is shot in a very interesting manner, like a pseudo-silent film with elements of sound effect and reality. It’s meant to convey disjointed memory and fragmentation of the mind, and it is interesting in these respects.

However, the film has a lot of disgusting elements to it that I didn’t find all that entertaining. They’re mainly just disturbing. It has some very interesting imagery too, and some interesting concepts, but some of the character relationships (especially between the mother and son) are pretty disturbing.

In all, this film will either appeal to you or it won’t. For me, it was interesting from an academic perspective, but it wasn’t a good watch, and I’ll probably not go back to it a second time.

4/10 if you’re looking for entertainment. 10/10 from an academic standpoint.

Director: Guy Maddin
Writers: Guy Maddin, Louis Negin (narration)
Stars: Gretchen Krich, Sullivan Brown, Maya Lawson
Country: Canada | USA
Language: English
Release Date: 24 September 2008 (France)
Also Known As: Brand Upon the Brain!
Filming Locations: Seattle, Washington, USA