No one takes ordinary, everyday events and reveals their odd, bizarre, and hysterical nature like John Paiz. Boiled down, this is simply a movie about a backyard party in the suburbs. The suburbs are presented in the style of a retro 1950s documentary complete with a homey old narrator describing things as if he were narrating home movies. There is even a film within a film, another mock 50's documentary, to suggest that things have always been the same here. But, there is trouble in paradise: Buster Keaton-like, silent Nick is less than happy (a real anomaly in this environment). He senses there is more hinted at behind his surroundings than what shows on the surface. In the middle of a thunderstorm, he leaves his house to look into someone's window but whatever mystery is revealed to him there is never shown to us. Other cracks do show up however: Nick's sister keeps dropping things. Another party-goer gets the cramps. Unsmiling Nick has a diving contest around the pool against a grinning He-Man Alpha Male. Down the street, a few odd cars, bicyclists, and make-shift floats make up the annual neighborhood church parade. Winnipeg "keeps" its secrets though ordinary life there seems odd enough.
Review of Springtime in Greenland
