An emerald hue hangs over the city of San Francisco. Compiled exclusively from film and television shows shot in San Francisco, Guy Maddin and his co-directors Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson, have constructed a film that enigmatically mirrors Hitchcock’s Vertigo, and its all-consuming male gaze. The power of non-verbal communication takes control as loaded silences and meaningful looks are exchanged across a time-travelling, stellar ensemble.
Rock Hudson, Glenn Close, Humphrey Bogart and Joan Crawford are caught up in a suspense-filled world of hints and allegations, romantic trysts and double-dealing. The strings of the Kronos Quartet weave through the narrative, evocative of Bernard Herrmann’s distinctive menace, while something sinister threatens to erupt in this strange, parallel universe.