Keyhole

Coincidentally (or not?) this is yet another very bizarre dream (nightmare?) -like film which may also be about a filmmaker’s love of movies and where I also had no clue where the film was going or what it was trying to say. If I think about this coincidence too long, it gets spooky. Of course, since Keyhole is directed by Winnipeg’s own Guy Maddin, you know going in that you’re going to get a very weird film.

Keyhole is a black and white film (film noir?) about a gang of criminals in the 1930‘s spending a night in the house of the gang’s leader. What the leader knows, but the other gang members do not, is that the house is haunted by a variety of ghosts which tell something of the strange history of those who lived in this house.

Keyhole features gorgeous cinematography, an interesting score and decent acting. The atmosphere and unique style make the first hour quite entertaining, but the film fades in the last half hour, seeming to get so carried away by its dark and twisted story that all attempts to find a cohesive plot are lost. An interesting oddity for arthouse film lovers only, I give Keyhole ***. My mug is up again, but it contains an even stranger brew.