agmtw logo
search
The Saddest Music in the World (2003)

The Saddest Music in the World (2003)

The world’s weirdest music competition is family feud fodder in this strange, satirical musical

7.0

Movie

Canada
English, Spanish
Comedy, Drama, Music
2003
GUY MADDIN
Adriana O'Neil, David Fox, Isabella Rossellini
101 min

TLDR

The other contestants might want to find a family therapist.

What it's about

Winnipeg, Canada, 1933. Amputee beer baroness Lady Port-Huntley organizes a competition offering $25,000 to the person who can compose the saddest music in the world.

The take

Music competitions aren’t really new, but usually, the goal is to find the best performers in exchange for a cash prize and a chance to make even more great music. The Saddest Music in the World is an eccentric choice to base a competition on, especially during the Great Depression and Prohibition era happening all at once, and it gets even weirder in as a film in the hands of writer-director Guy Maddin, as a beer baroness transforms it into a cultural Olympics hijacked by a strange family who should probably go to therapy for their dual love triangles. Fans of old black-and-white films would love the classic vignette and grain, but rather than wax nostalgically about the past, The Saddest Music in the World takes a more bizarre, ridiculous route on talking tapeworms and literal beer legs.

What stands out

The way the film satirizes the idea of oppression olympics by having three men make it all about them. Sorry, Serbia.

Comments

Add a comment

Your name

Your comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Emilia Pérez (2024)

Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez return to their roots in this multinational crime musical drama

7.5

Fruitvale Station (2013)

Compassionate filmmaking reconstructing a 24-hour police brutality story – with a stunning lead by Michael B. Jordan

9.7

Open Your Eyes (1997)

The startlingly surreal Spanish psychothriller that inspired modern cult classic Vanilla Sky

8.0

Babylon (2022)

An intoxicating and lavishly designed experience of Hollywood hedonism

8.0

Nowhere (2023)

A riveting Spanish Netflix survival thriller brought to life in Anna Castillo’s performance

7.8

Problemista (2024)

Dark, weird, poignant, and funny, this debut feature by Los Espookys star Julio Torres is a modern parable of the American Dream

7.6

Broadcast News (1987)

A romantic and bittersweet drama set in the hectic world of TV news

8.0

Holy Spider (2022)

A timely and terrifying noir that takes on systemic abuse and corruption in Iran

8.0

Mutt (2023)

A Sundance-awarded film that actually stands the test of time, a brave new addition to the trans cinema canon

8.3

Amistad (1997)

Spielberg depicts a compelling, if a bit imperfect, historical drama depicting the real life freedom suit

7.5

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.