Synopsis
While their mother is dying in the modern Gimli, Manitoba hospital, two young children are told an important tale by their Icelandic grandmother about Ainar the lonely, his friend Gunnar, and the angelic Snjofrieder in a Gimli of old.
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Cast
- Kyle McCullochEinar the Lonely / Minstrel
- Michael GottliGunnar
- Angela HeckSnjófridur
- Margaret Anne MacLeodAmma
- Heather NealeGranddaughter
- David NealeGrandson
- Don HewakJohn Ramsay
- Ron EyolfsonPastor Osbaldison / Patient
- Chris JohnsonLord Dufferin
- Donna SzökeFish Princess
Recommendations
- 88
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
A funny, strange and wondrous little film. [31 May 1988] - 80
Time Out
There are moments of jaw-dropping inspiration, and many that are just impenetrably odd. But this is immensely winning for the rawness alone. - 75
The A.V. Club
The filmmaker self-consciously borrows from dozens of sources, including radio dramas, Our Gang shorts, hygiene films, school plays, stag pictures, Universal horror, ethnographic documentaries, and the indie weirdness of John Waters and David Lynch. - 75
Chicago Reader
Whatever else you might say about this weird, creepy, and funny independent item by Guy Maddin, it's certainly different. - 75
Chicago Tribune
An original and insinuating black comedy from Winnipeg, Canada, where something very strange seems to be going on. The pastiche is nearly perfect, played with an utter sincerity that makes it impossible to tell just where the jokes are coming from. - 70
Los Angeles Times
It's a dry, fluky comedy about the perils of immigrant communities and bad health facilities -- shot in a style that's a clever pastiche of early '30s experimental talkies. The imagery is purposely deranged and the movie pumps it out in slow, deliberate rhythms that become daffy and excruciating. [11 Sep 1989, p.6] - 60
The New York Times
It is a strange piece of work.
