Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life (1995)

Directors:

Stephen Quay
Timothy Quay

Writers:

Alan Passes (writer)
Stephen Quay (writer)

Release Date:

23 August 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Jakob arrives at the Institute Benjamenta (run by brother and sister Johannes and Lisa Benjamenta) to learn to become a servant...

Plot Keywords:

Servant | Philosophy | Kafka Esque | Fork | Mutation

Awards:

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Mark Rylance	...	Jakob
Alice Krige	...	Lisa Benjamenta
Gottfried John	...	Herr Benjamenta
Daniel Smith	...	Kraus
Joseph Alessi	...	Pepino
Jonathan Stone	...	Hebling
César Sarachu	...	Inigo (as Cesar Sarachu)
Peter Lovstrom	...	Jorgenson
Uri Roodner	...	Schilinski
Peter Whitfield	...	Null

Also Known As:

Institut Benjamenta oder Dieser Traum, den man menschliches Leben nennt (Germany)
Institute Benjamenta
Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream That One Calls Human Life (USA)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

UK | Japan | Germany

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:U | UK:PG

Company:

Image Forum

Quotes:

Jakob: I shall never let myself be rescued, nor shall I ever rescue anybody.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Celluloid Dreams (2002)

strange and sterile

Visually this is a rather strange mix of David Lynch, Guy Maddin, and who knows what all else. Story-wise, it's a tale of a man who goes to a school (Instituta Benjamina) to learn how to be a servant because he's not expecting much out of life. And beyond that, you've got me. The school is run by a brother and sister and there's only one lesson taught, over and over. The institute itself is full of strange things, all presented in a rather creepy way, and these strange things include secret rooms and passages and even an opportunity to sniff powdered deer ejaculate, wow. And for some reason deer parts play some kind of role in this, but who knows what. It seems the sister is rather lonely and so is her brother and they both have their sights set on young Jakob, who just enrolled. But really, beyond that, nothing is particularly clear. Visually it's quite interesting but it's not particularly moving and is just sort of "there". Definitely an art film, but not one that would probably have wide appeal. 7 out of 10.