Lunacy (2005)
AKA: Sileni
Directed by: Jan Svankmajer
Starring: Pavel Liska (Jean Berlot), Jan TrÃska (Marquis), Anna Geislerova (Charlota), Pavel Novy (Dominik), Martin Huba (Coulmiere), Jaroslav Dusek (Murlloppe)
Country: Czech Republic, European Cinema
Language: Czech (English subtitles)
Runtime: 01:57:29
Genres: Animation, Mental Illness, Satanism
Plot – Spoilers:
Jean Berlot is a poor and depressed man recovering from the recent death of his mother who was in a mental institution. He fears he might be carrying some of her madness and often has delusions of being grabbed by ward boys.
Berlot is befriended by a bizarre man who refers to himself as a Marquis. The Marquis has a certain financial and other clout that allows him to strut around like he were from a long-forgotten era. Berlot is grateful for the latter’s hospitality, but knows his social place and tries to leave. But when he witnesses a sex-infused ritual rooted in the Marquis’ pagan beliefs, he is drawn further into the Marquis’ strange world.
Lunacy has Jan Svankmajer’s mastery over stop-motion, this time involving lots of meat. There are some hilariously dark sequences involving chicken that are truly memorable in this loose adaptation of the works of Edgar Allan Poe and Marquis de Sade.
For me, the film translates into an allegorical screenplay of a certain actual revolution that I still can’t quite put my finger on. Nonetheless, the methodological storytelling and dramatic peculiarities, namely the psych ward disrupted by the battle of the throne, play a monumental role in delivering its novel message.
this film is amazing 10/10
The subtitles of this one don’t seem to work.
The subs are there.
The intro by the director doesn’t have subs, but they resume after that.
I absolutely love this one. It has a good plot. A deep, unpredictable movie with the right balance of everything dark and illuminating. The acting is superb.
Artistic, original, multi-dimensional, psychological and philosophical. Full stars.
Can someone point out the animation please – I watched the entire movie but did not see any animation – seemed like a normal movie to me – maybe I missed out something
am i the only one not understanding anything here . is there anything to be understood even. (first werid artsy movie that i’ve watched, maybe thats it) also not-so-fun fact: marquis actor passed away in 2017
Absolutely original! 10/10
Beautiful work.
Thank you admin?
brilliant fav
This is great! Hilarious! I loved it & thank you…
Great film.