Surviving Life (Theory and Practice) (2010)

The film uses a mix of cut-out animation from photographs and live-action segments, and tells the story of a married man who lives a double life in his dreams, where he is married to another woman.

Director:

Jan Svankmajer

Writer:

Jan Svankmajer (screenplay)

Stars:

Václav Helsus, Klára Issová, Zuzana Krónerová

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Václav Helsus	...	Evzen / Milan
Klára Issová	...	Evzenie
Zuzana Krónerová	...	Milada (as Zuzana Kronerová)
Daniela Bakerová	...	MUDr. Holubová
Emília Doseková	...	Super-ego
Marcel Nemec	...	Colleague
Jan Pocepický	...	Antiquarian
Jana Olhová	...	Prostitute
Pavel Nový	...	Janitor
Karel Brozek	...	Boss
Miroslav Vrba	...	Fikejz
Frantisek Polata	...	Doctor
Ludmila Hanuláková	...	Cashier in Sportipo
Lenka Dvorská	...	Cashier in cinema
Vaclav Jezek	...	Waiter

Storyline

The film uses a mix of cut-out animation from photographs and live-action segments, and tells the story of a married man who lives a double life in his dreams, where he is married to another woman.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | dream | surrealism | part animation | 

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Taglines:

Psychoanalytická komedie (A psychoanalytical comedy)

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Fantasy | Mystery

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Did You Know?

Connections

References La Dolce Vita (1960)

User Reviews

Svankmajer on Survival

In a time of international turmoil, Svankmajer comes out with a film about what it takes to survive. The current state of independent film production looms over the whole picture. The director begins with a personal introduction explaining that he conceived the piece as being shot in live-action, but ended up making it in stop-motion with photographs of actors, as he couldn't raise the money for a full shoot. And it is clearly very low-budget. Most of the actors probably completed their roles in a day or two, being photographed in various poses, recording their dialog, and then getting animated in post. The live-action is mostly limited to close-ups of the actors' faces to avoid the need for sets and costumes. Svankmajer plays the lead Eugene himself.

Eugene lives in a small apartment with his wife and works a drudging, unspecified job sitting in front of a computer. The two of them have been getting by, and he thinks he's reasonably happy, but he's being troubled by strange dreams about a beautiful woman whose name keeps changing. As his relationship with the woman develops from night to night, Eugene begins visiting a psychoanalyst and researching dream manipulation to try and determine the significance of his nocturnal experiences. Meanwhile a strange figure in the dream world warns him darkly of the consequences of pursuing the mysterious woman.

This may sound like another "character goes crazy while dreams blur with reality," story but it quickly establishes itself as something very different. Svankmajer makes the dream world and reality equally surreal. They are clearly distinguishable, but both worlds feature bizarre elements that are treated as "normal". For example, Eugene's boss has a pet man on a leash with a bulldog for a head, and some events and objects inexplicably transfer themselves from one reality to the other without anyone noticing. The reality and dream form an intersecting puzzle that slowly unravels the secret and forgotten troubles that are creating Eugene's dreams.

This is Svankmajer's most humane film. It is touching, beautiful and devastating in ways that none of his earlier work has been. Where before he has been often cynical and critical of humanity, this entire piece is straightforward and emotionally honest. In the end, it's a film about what it takes for a sensitive person to survive in an eternally brutal world. The final scene is going to stay with you for a very long time.

Details

Official Sites:

Athanor [Czech Republic] Bontonfilm [Czech Republic]

Country:

Czech Republic Slovakia Japan

Language:

Czech

Release Date:

16 September 2010 (Slovakia)

Also Known As:

Surviving Life

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,133

Company Credits

Production Co:

Athanor, C-Ga Film, Ceská Televize

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1