Kövek - Stones (2000)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Ferenc Cakó

Writer:

Ferenc Cakó (writer)

Genre:

Short

Plot:

An Artist violently grinds stones and uses the sand to create animated drawings. His first picture is the Garden of Eden...

Plot Keywords:

Part Animated

Awards:

1 nomination

Also Known As:

Stones (International: English title)

Runtime:

Germany:9 min

Country:

Hungary

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Company:

C.A.K.O. Studio

pure genius

It is a puzzle for me how this masterpiece could have received such a low rating from the IMDb users. It does indeed have a dark, even psychotic quality, but, boy, what an imagination!!!

Most of the movie is implemented in Ferenc Cako's signature animation style featuring sand on an overhead projector. He keeps transforming his drawings into one another with remarkable facility and grace, and it is truly astounding how much emotional intensity he can wring out of his apparently drab material. Most of the images revolve around the relationship of a totalitarian state and its citizens vs. the relationship of an artist and his subject-matter. The "visual plot" oscillates between the biblical and the Kafkaesque. There is no dialog; the modernist soundtrack is masterfully concocted from snippets of Ligeti and Lutoslawski. The coordination between the music and the image progression is so developed that it adds an extra dimension to the viewing experience.

I figure it must be very hard to get a glimpse of this little gem, but one thing I have to say is: make sure not to miss your chances!!!