Smartly avoiding the usual trappings of biographical films, Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould – as its title implies – is comprised of 32 short pieces on the famous composers life in a variety of disparate styles. While such an exercise could easily go wrong, in the hands of Canadian director François Girard (and writer Don McKellar) the film moves along at a breathless pace – punctuated by a wonderful soundtrack of Gould’s playing – jumping from traditional interviews, recreations, experimental pieces, and animated sequences that somehow gel as a fine portrait of a fascinating artist. Much credit should be given to the great actor Colm Feore, who accurately envelops the character of Gould in a variety of stages in his life, and whose distinctive voice provides some consistency throughout. Not every segment is equally as captivating – a weakness of most anthology-style films – but each section is short enough that an audience could hardly feel a dip in interest before the next piece begins. A wonderful, original experiment that will fascinate even those – like myself – sadly ignorant to the intricacies of classical music.