[1] Maddin and co-screenwriter George Toles based the film on an original screenplay written by British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro, from which they kept "the title, the premise and the contest – to determine which country’s music was the saddest" but otherwise re-wrote.

Chester Kent, a failing Broadway producer, decides to enter the contest representing America, even though he is Canadian and originally from Winnipeg.

The song recovers Narcissa's memory and Chester, meanwhile, is stabbed to death by Helen (using a long shard from her glass legs).

[3] The DVD contains three short films: A Trip to the Orphanage, Sombra Dolorosa and Sissy Boy Slap Party.

"[8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

[9] The Christian Science Monitor drew attention to "Maddin's unique style ... [which] carries old-movie nostalgia past the breaking point, making the picture look and sound like a long-ago production that's been stored under somebody's bed for the past few decades, and now reaches the screen replete with often-spliced frames and a fuzz-filled sound track.

This is no mere gimmick but a core ingredient of Maddin's aesthetic, which bestows affection and regard on everything we overlook and undervalue in our daily lives.