Cowards Bend the Knee

If you've never seen Maddin's work, Cowards Bend the Knee is a good place to start.

There's no denying the imagination and technical ingenuity on display, but this clearly ranks as one of Maddin's less accessible efforts, which is definitely saying something.

Lurid, tawdry and untoward entertainment from Canada's reigning mad genius.

Shot in five days, "Cowards Bend The Knee" is not exactly automatic writing-Maddin knows exactly which Greek tragedies he's pillaging-but it feels like a direct flood from the unconscious. His most dreamlike film, it's also his most heartfelt.