The Forbidden Room Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Forbidden Room Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 29, 2016

I think it’s wonderful that Guy Maddin is continuing his exploration of underground cinema, refusing to compromise his vision to entice commercial success, sticking to a plan of impish, artful moviemaking that celebrates the abstract, his Canadian heritage, and the directorial process itself. He’s an original, but that doesn’t always make his efforts easy to endure. “The Forbidden Room” is the latest from “The Saddest Music in the World” and “My Winnipeg” director, and perhaps his most challenging feature to date, mixing visions, ideas, and humor to create a swirling galaxy of askew storytelling.

“The Forbidden Room” is a free-form investigation of short stories and atmosphere, eschewing a larger plot to sample bite-sized offerings of avant garde cinema. It’s a blur of directorial technique, with Maddin reviving his interests in silent film construction (albeit with digital technology), while remaining true to idiosyncrasy, keeping the tale stocked with horror, comedy, and tragedy, featuring a few familiar faces like Charlotte Rampling, Udo Kier (who appears in the two highlights of the movie, with one, a music video, spotlighting a man obsessed with rear ends), and Mathieu Amalric.

The Forbidden Room Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Guy Maddin never makes things easy, a challenge that extends to the AVC encoded image (1.66:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "The Forbidden Room." Rarely sharing a cleanly composed moment, the viewing experience is intentionally abstract and overly busy, with distorted visuals layered on top of each other. Clarity isn't available, but detail survives, managing actor extremes with attention to skin textures, and craftsmanship remains as sharp as possible. Colors are accurate, with sickly hues secure, keeping their amplification. Delineation is really up to Maddin, who doesn't particularly care if his frame is swallowed by solid blacks. Source is crisp and clean. Some mild banding is detected.

The Forbidden Room Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix handles Maddin's soundscape with an active listening event, keeping in line with visual impishness. Surrounds are engaged, adding depth to the nervous energy of the feature. Dialogue is intentionally molested, but it's not difficult to follow, tracking performances with clarity. Music sounds full and fresh, offering some welcome low-end. Sound effects are loud and in charge, with scratches and submersions ideally presented.

The Forbidden Room Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (26 pages) includes essays by Hilary Weston and Guy Maddin.

• Commentary features directors Guy Maddin and Even Johnson.

• "Endless Ectoloops" (8:56, HD) provide extended dips into digital processing to create abstract imagery.

• "Living Posters" (2:17, HD) returns to the ectoloop idea for promotion usage.

• "Once a Chicken" (6:51, HD) again restores the ectoloop submersion for this artful short, credited as a "Séance with Lazslo Moholy-Nagy."

• A Teaser Trailer (1:18, HD) and a Theatrical Trailer (2:16, HD) are included.

The Forbidden Room Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A little of "The Forbidden Room" goes a long way, and clocking in at two hours, the picture tends to repeat itself as bright ideas are exhausted. Maddin is a visionary, a true artist, but he's never one to quit while he's ahead, with "The Forbidden Room" a feature that's easily appreciated, intricately assembled, inventively imagined, and periodically insufferable.